NEW YORK , Sept 3 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures fell on Wednesday as
news of the demise of a hedge fund partly owned by Lehman Brothers
rekindled worries about the outlook for the beleaguered financial services
sector.
News that hedge fund manager Ospraie Management LLC will close its flagship
fund after it plunged 27 percent in August due to losses in energy, mining and
natural resources equity holdings damaged stocks in Europe where major averages
slid 1 percent or more.
Shares of Lehman Brothers, which owns 20 percent of Ospraie, dropped nearly
3 percent to $15.71 before the bell.
Analysts said the hedge fund closure could complicate Lehman's efforts to
raise new capital as it seeks to bolster a balance sheet weakened by mortgage
losses.
"The biggest drag on the market right now is the news involving Lehman,"
said Arthur Hogan, chief market analyst at Jefferies & Co in Boston.
"The last thing Lehman needs while they are looking to raise new capital is
to have skeletons like this falling out of the closet. There's a clear
possibility that this could impede the process of getting new investors in."
S&P 500 futures fell 4.70 points and were below fair value, a formula
that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time
to expiration on the contract.
Dow Jones industrial average futures fell 41 points and Nasdaq 100
futures dropped 11 points.
The hedge fund's closure, announced after the bell on Tuesday, overshadowed
a report in South Korea's Daily Chosun Ilbo newspaper that top European bank
HSBC Holdings <0005.HK> , several U.S. hedge funds and an unidentified
Chinese bank are among potential buyers of Lehman, the fourth-ranked U.S.
investment bank. For details, see [ID:nSEO152269]
Coca-Cola is also among stocks to watch after the world's leading
drinks maker agreed to pay $2.5 billion for Chinese juice maker Huiyuan
<1886.HK> , the biggest-ever takeover in China by a foreign company.
[ID:nHKG153943]
In earnings news, Staples Inc , the leading U.S. office supply
retailer, posted a decline in second-quarter profit but it matched Wall Street's
forecasts. [ID:nWNAB9079]
Wednesday's economic calendar includes the Federal Reserve release of its
Beige Book on regional economic conditions at 2 p.m. (1800 GMT). The report is
likely to reinforce the view of weak growth and elevated price pressures.
Data for factory orders in July is due at 10 a.m. (1400 GMT). A government
report on energy inventories for the latest week is due at 10:35 a.m. (1435).
Major U.S. auto makers are also in focus as they prepare to post August
sales reports.
U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday, as a steep decline in the price of oil and
other commodities hammered energy and materials companies while tech shares fell
on worries about an economic slowdown.
(Editing by Kenneth Barry)
((Ellis.Mnyandu@thomsonreuters.com; +1 646 223 6085; Reuters
Messaging:ellis.mnyandu.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: MARKETS STOCKS
tf.TFN-Europe_newsdesk@thomsonreuters.com
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