By Polya Lesova, MarketWatch
LONDON (MarketWatch) — U.S. stock futures traded marginally higher Monday, as investors awaited the latest data on retail sales and digested developments in the euro zone’s troubled periphery.
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJZ10 11,154, +2.00, +0.02%) gained 6 points to 11,158 and S&P 500 futures (SPZ10 1,199, +3.30, +0.28%) edged up 1.40 points to 1,196.70.
The blue-chip Dow index (DJIA 11,193, -90.52, -0.80%) dropped 251.50 points last week, or 2.20%, posting its biggest weekly point and percentage drop in three months.
Investors are awaiting data on October retail sales and the Empire State manufacturing index for November, both due at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time.
On the corporate front, Lowe’s Companies Inc. (LOW 21.69, -0.61, -2.74%) and Urban Outfitters Inc. (URBN 32.90, -0.20, -0.60%) are scheduled to report quarterly results on Monday.
U.S.-listed shares of Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (POT 139.91, -2.09, -1.47%) (CA:POT 141.37, 0.00, 0.00%) dropped 5.3% in thin premarket trading after miner BHP Billiton (BHP 86.97, -2.63, -2.94%) said it will withdraw its $39 billion hostile offer for the Canadian firm.
European stock markets traded mostly lower, with the Stoxx Europe 600 index (ST:STOXX600 270.68, +0.50, +0.19%) falling 0.1%.
Ireland and Greece were once again in the spotlight.
Over the weekend, media reports said that European Union officials are pressuring Ireland to take a bailout in order to calm jittery bond markets, while Irish officials responded by denying claims that Dublin needs a bailout. Read more on Ireland’s woes.
As for Greece, its 2009 deficit was revised up to 15.4% of gross domestic product from a previous estimate of 13.6%.
In the currency markets, the euro fell 0.6% to $1.3609. The dollar index (DXY 78.39, +0.31, +0.39%) , which tracks the performance of the greenback against a basket of other major currencies, rose 0.6% to 78.531.
Gold futures edged down to $1,364 an ounce in electronic trading.
