UKX FTSE 100 Index

U.S. stock futures ticked higher, with technology shares poised to lead gains at the opening bell.

S&P 500 futures strengthened 0.2% and futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%. Contracts on the Nasdaq-100 added 0.8%. Changes in futures don't necessarily predict moves after the opening bell.

Europe stocks declined Wednesday for a two-day losing streak. The Stoxx Europe 600 shed 0.5% in morning trade. The consumer-staples and real-estate sectors posted the main losses while the information-technology sector rose.

Halma added 2.6% for a three-session winning streak.

The U.K.'s FTSE 100, which is dominated by large international businesses, was lower 0.5%. Other stock indexes in Europe also mostly fell as France's CAC 40 was down 0.7%, the U.K.'s FTSE 250 lost 0.3% and Germany's DAX declined 0.7%.

The Swiss franc, the euro and the British pound slipped 0.3%, 0.3% and 0.5% respectively against the U.S. dollar.

In commodities, Brent crude was up 1.5% to $61.79 a barrel. Gold was also up 0.2% to $1,728.40 a troy ounce.

The yield on German 10-year bunds fell to minus 0.356% and the 10-year U.K. government debt known as gilts yield was down to 0.739%. 10-year U.S. Treasury yields were down to 1.615% from 1.637% on Tuesday. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.

Indexes in Asia mostly slipped as Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 1.9%, Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 2%, and China's benchmark Shanghai Composite lost 1.3%.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 24, 2021 04:55 ET (08:55 GMT)

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