By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch
Qualys plunges more than 25% premarket
U.S. stock-index futures were pointing to a flat open on
Tuesday, ahead of trade-deficit numbers, service-sector reports,
and the closely followed jobs report slated for Friday.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YMM5) were up
about 4 points to 17,999, while those for the S&P 500 index
(ESM5) flat to lower at 2,108.40. Futures for the Nasdaq-100 (NQM5)
was off by 8 points, or 0.2%, to 4,468.
Tuesday's flat market follows two days of gains for the major
indexes, with the S&P 500 (SPX) on Monday ending just a few
points shy (http://www.marketwatch.com/storyno-meta-for-guid) of
its record close set on April 24.
Data: Investors are already looking ahead to the top-tier
nonfarm-payrolls report on Friday, but have some data to digest
Tuesday. At 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, the trade deficit for March is
due, forecast to show a rise to $43.5 billion, from $35.4 billion
in February
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-trade-deficit-sinks-17-in-february-to-354-billion-2015-04-02).
At 10 a.m. Eastern, the ISM nonmanufacturing data are due. The
report -- also known as the ISM reading for the services sector --
is expected to come in at 56.5% in April, unchanged from March
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ism-services-index-dips-in-march-but-shows-steady-us-growth-2015-04-06).
Among Federal Reserve speakers, Minneapolis Fed President
Narayana Kocherlakota speaks at the town hall in Marshall,
Minnesota at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Earnings: Reporting ahead of the bell, Kellogg Co.(K) is
projected to report first-quarter earnings of 92 cents a share.
Sprint (S) said its loss widened in the fourth quarter and that
revenue also declined. Shares were off 1% ahead of the bell.
DirecTV (DTV) slipped 0.5% premarket after the digital TV
company reported first-quarter profit and revenue that missed
forecasts
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/directv-profit-and-revenue-miss-estimates-2015-05-05).
Office Depot Inc.(ODP) said it swung to a profit in the first
quarte
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/office-depot-matches-profit-expectations-but-misses-on-sales-2015-05-05)r,
but sales missed expectations.
Archer Daniels Midland Co.(ADM) reported a 15% drop in
first-quarter sales
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/archer-daniels-midland-sales-fall-miss-estimates-2015-05-05)
as the strong dollar and weak markets led to softness in its
corn-processing business.
Walt Disney Co.(DIS) reported profits and sales that were better
than analysts' expectations
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/disney-profit-and-revenue-top-estimates-2015-05-05).
After hours, Groupon Inc.(GRPN) is expected to report
first-quarter earnings of a penny a share. Herbalife Ltd.(HLF) is
forecast to post first-quarter earnings of $1 a share. On Monday,
Herbalife's biggest critic, Bill Ackman, reiterated his confidence
in his bet against the health-supplements company in a CNBC
interview at the Ira Sohn investment conference in New York.
Movers and shakers: Shares of Qualys Inc.(QLYS) plunged 24%
ahead of the bell after the cloud-security company late Monday
posted a disappointing outlook
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/comcast-cablevision-tyson-foods-earnings-in-focus-2015-05-01).
Other markets: Chinese stocks slid 4.1%, suffering their second
largest daily fall this year
(http://www.marketwatch.com/storyno-meta-for-guid).
European stock markets were struggling for direction Tuesday
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/eu-lifts-eurozone-growth-forecast-2015-05-05-5485346).
Oil prices (CLM5) advanced and most metals rose. The dollar
(DXY) traded mixed against other major currencies.
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