Indications: U.S. futures weaker as Citi reports loss

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By Steve Goldstein, MarketWatch

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures were in the red Tuesday after a three-day break, with Citigroup's quarterly loss and a costlier Kraft Foods bid for Cadbury not changing market sentiment after last week's decline.

S&P 500 futures fell 4.3 points to 1,128.00 and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 2 points to 1,860.20. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 31 points.

U.S. stocks finished lower last week, with the S&P 500 retreating 0.8%.

"The market is probably counting on at least some earnings leverage to become evident," said Bill Stone, chief investment strategist of PNC Wealth Management.

"Some sign of increasing revenues will likely be crucial," he said.

TODAY'S INTERNATIONAL MARKET STORIES

Global Dow

• MarketWatch Topics: The Dubai Crisis • Asia Markets | Europe Markets | LatAm Markets • Canadian Markets | Israel Stocks | London • U.S.: Market Snapshot | After Hours

Tools• Latin American/Canadian indexes • European indexes | Asian indexes

More on the Markets • Bond Report | Oil News | Earnings Watch • Currencies | U.S. Economic Calendar

/conga/story/misc/international.html 45984

Citigroup /quotes/comstock/13*!c/quotes/nls/c (C 3.41, -0.01, -0.29%) became the second major bank after J.P. Morgan Chase /quotes/comstock/13*!jpm/quotes/nls/jpm (JPM 43.68, 0.00, 0.00%) to release results, and reported a $7.6 billion quarterly loss, or $1.4 billion of red ink when excluding repaying TARP and exiting government protection over assets.

Citi took provisions for loan losses of $8.2 billion -- though that's down 36% from the prior-year period, and down 10% from the third quarter.

Citi shares slipped 1.8% in pre-market action minutes after the release.

After the close, International Business Machines /quotes/comstock/13*!ibm/quotes/nls/ibm (IBM 131.81, +0.03, +0.02%) reports results.

There were a number of deals announced over the last two days, with Warren Buffett having a piece in many of them.

Buffett-held Kraft Foods /quotes/comstock/13*!kft/quotes/nls/kft (KFT 29.58, 0.00, 0.00%) improved its cash-and-stock offer for Cadbury /quotes/comstock/13*!cby/quotes/nls/cby (CBY 51.90, 0.00, 0.00%) to $19.5 billion, a bid that won the support of the U.K. chocolate producer and doesn't need the approval of Kraft shareholders. See story.

Kraft shares fell over 2%, while Cadbury's U.S.-listed shares rose nearly 5% in pre-market trade.

Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway /quotes/comstock/13*!brk.a/quotes/nls/brk.a (BRK.A 97,500, 0.00, 0.00%) also paid $1.3 billion for U.S. life insurance business from Swiss Re. And the Omaha, Nebraska-based firm is looking to increase its stake in Korean steelmaker Posco, according to a Bloomberg News report.

Outside of the Buffett sphere, Tyco International /quotes/comstock/13*!tyc/quotes/nls/tyc (TYC 37.61, +0.07, +0.19%) said it's buying Brink's Home Security Holdings /quotes/comstock/13*!cfl/quotes/nls/cfl (CFL 31.42, 0.00, 0.00%) for $2 billion in cash and stock, sending Brink's shares up 30% in pre-market trade.

Williams Cos. /quotes/comstock/13*!wmb/quotes/nls/wmb (WMB 21.37, 0.00, 0.00%) , Williams Partners /quotes/comstock/13*!wpz/quotes/nls/wpz (WPZ 30.79, 0.00, 0.00%) and Williams Pipeline Partners /quotes/comstock/13*!wmz/quotes/nls/wmz (WMZ 23.35, 0.00, 0.00%) announced a restructuring in a deal the firms valued at $12 billion.

Japan Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection. The SkyTeam alliance that includes Delta Air Lines /quotes/comstock/13*!dal/quotes/nls/dal (DAL 12.76, +0.02, +0.16%) and Air France-KLM is trying to get the carrier to switch from its current oneworld grouping that includes AMR Corp.'s /quotes/comstock/13*!amr/quotes/nls/amr (AMR 8.08, -0.01, -0.12%) American Airlines and British Airways.

Apple /quotes/comstock/15*!aapl/quotes/nls/aapl (AAPL 205.93, 0.00, 0.00%) started issuing invitations for an event to be held next week in which the company is widely anticipated to roll out an electronic tablet.

The economics calendar features November Treasury inflows data and a January home builder index. Overseas, U.K. inflation accelerated at the highest rate on record in December and the Bank of Canada is due to make an interest rate decision.

The U.K. data buoyed the British pound, while the euro was weaker after worse-than-forecast German investor sentiment and continued concerns about Greece's debt situation.

Oil futures traded below $78 a barrel.

The Nikkei 225 declined 0.8% in Tokyo while the German DAX fell 0.9%.

Steve Goldstein is MarketWatch's London bureau chief.

NYSE Arca Morning Update - 08:30:00 ET

NYSE Arca Morning Update for Tuesday, Jan 19, 2010 :

STOCKS TRADING ON NYSE Arca AT A PRICE 15% OR MORE AWAY FROM
THE PREVIOUS TRADE DAY'S CONSOLIDATED CLOSE PRICE (AS OF 08:30:00 ET)

Stock Friday's Close Current Price Pct Change Current NYSE ARCA Vol
CFL $31.39 $41.60 32.5% 167,623
PFSW $3.70 $4.32 16.8% 85,289

10 MOST ACTIVE STOCKS ON NYSE ARCA AS OF 08:30:00 ET

BASED ON DOLLARS TRADED: | BASED ON SHARES TRADED:
Stock $ Volume Price PctChg | Stock Share Vol Price PctChg
SPY $141503995 $113.58 ( 0.1%) | C 7,214,917 $3.38 ( 1.2%)
C $24,543,034 $3.38 ( 1.2%) | SPY 1,248,421 $113.58 ( 0.1%)
QQQQ $14,334,475 $45.94 0.2% | BAC 574,738 $16.17 ( 0.6%)
KFT $13,221,140 $28.75 ( 2.7%) | KFT 457,958 $28.75 ( 2.7%)
EWZ $10,096,780 $73.85 0.4% | GNVC 361,829 $2.04 16.8%
BAC $9,273,558 $16.17 ( 0.6%) | QQQQ 312,612 $45.94 0.2%
GLD $7,996,531 $111.08 0.2% | F 204,135 $11.46 ( 1.2%)
AAPL $7,607,276 $207.17 0.6% | ETFC 198,700 $1.79 ( 2.3%)
BIDU $7,418,240 $458.88 ( 1.9%) | CFL 167,623 $41.60 32.5%
CFL $6,964,746 $41.60 32.5% | EWZ 137,818 $73.85 0.4%

Price changes may be affected by symbol splits and dividends.

Consolidated close price is the last print (excluding prints with trade
conditions) prior to 4PM ET.

This information is also updated on our web page every morning at 8:35ET:
http://www.tradearca.com/data/volume/daily_update.asp

This material is for informational purposes only.
NYSE Euronext and its affiliates ("NYSE Arca") are not soliciting any action based upon it.
This material is not to be construed as an offer to buy or sell any security in any jurisdiction where such an offer or solicitation would be illegal.
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Copyright [2010] by NYSE Euronext. All rights reserved. Reproduction and redistribution prohibited without prior express consent.

Indications: U.S. futures mixed amid earnings, merger news

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By Steve Goldstein, MarketWatch

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures were mixed Tuesday after a three-day break, with traders returning to a slate of earnings and merger announcements, including a recommended $19.5 billion offer for Cadbury by Kraft Foods.

S&P 500 futures dipped a half point to 1,131.80 and futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 6 points, while futures on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 rose 4 points to 1,866.20.

U.S. stocks finished lower last week, with the S&P 500 retreating 0.8%.

"The market is probably counting on at least some earnings leverage to become evident," said Bill Stone, chief investment strategist of PNC Wealth Management.

"Some sign of increasing revenues will likely be crucial," he said.

TODAY'S INTERNATIONAL MARKET STORIES

Global Dow

• MarketWatch Topics: The Dubai Crisis • Asia Markets | Europe Markets | LatAm Markets • Canadian Markets | Israel Stocks | London • U.S.: Market Snapshot | After Hours

Tools• Latin American/Canadian indexes • European indexes | Asian indexes

More on the Markets • Bond Report | Oil News | Earnings Watch • Currencies | U.S. Economic Calendar

/conga/story/misc/international.html 45984

Citigroup /quotes/comstock/13*!c/quotes/nls/c (C 3.41, -0.01, -0.29%) , CSX /quotes/comstock/13*!csx/quotes/nls/csx (CSX 50.04, 0.00, 0.00%) , and, after the close, International Business Machines /quotes/comstock/13*!ibm/quotes/nls/ibm (IBM 131.81, +0.03, +0.02%) headline Tuesday's set of earnings releases.

The last time Citigroup released results, its share price dropped 7.9% over five trading days, according to WhisperNumber.com.

There were a number of deals announced over the last two days, with Warren Buffett having a piece in many of them.

Buffett-held Kraft Foods /quotes/comstock/13*!kft/quotes/nls/kft (KFT 29.58, 0.00, 0.00%) improved its cash-and-stock offer for Cadbury /quotes/comstock/13*!cby/quotes/nls/cby (CBY 51.90, 0.00, 0.00%) to $19.5 billion, a bid that won the support of the U.K. chocolate producer. See story.

Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway /quotes/comstock/13*!brk.a/quotes/nls/brk.a (BRK.A 97,500, 0.00, 0.00%) also paid $1.3 billion for U.S. life insurance business from Swiss Re. And the Omaha, Nebraska-based firm is looking to increase its stake in Korean steelmaker Posco, according to a Bloomberg News report.

Outside of the Buffett sphere, Tyco International /quotes/comstock/13*!tyc/quotes/nls/tyc (TYC 37.61, +0.07, +0.19%) said it's buying Brink's Home Security Holdings /quotes/comstock/13*!cfl/quotes/nls/cfl (CFL 31.42, 0.00, 0.00%) for $2 billion in cash and stock.

Japan Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection. The SkyTeam alliance that includes Delta Air Lines /quotes/comstock/13*!dal/quotes/nls/dal (DAL 12.76, +0.02, +0.16%) and Air France-KLM is trying to get the carrier to switch from its current oneworld grouping that includes AMR Corp.'s /quotes/comstock/13*!amr/quotes/nls/amr (AMR 8.08, -0.01, -0.12%) American Airlines and British Airways.

Apple /quotes/comstock/15*!aapl/quotes/nls/aapl (AAPL 205.93, 0.00, 0.00%) started issuing invitations for an event to be held next week in which the company is widely anticipated to roll out an electronic tablet.

"We can envision commuters downloading TV shows, magazines and newspapers for their daily trek. In our view, both AT&T and Verizon are vying to carry the Tablet and both are likely to carry the device," said Peter Misek, an analyst at Canaccord Adams, in a note to clients.

AT&T /quotes/comstock/13*!t/quotes/nls/t (T 25.83, +0.04, +0.16%) late Friday introduced a new wireless price plan, just hours after Verizon Wireless also rolled out a new price plan.

The economics calendar features November Treasury inflows data and a January home builder index. Overseas, U.K. inflation accelerated at the highest rate on record in December and the Bank of Canada is due to make an interest rate decision.

The U.K. data buoyed the British pound, while the euro was weaker after worse-than-forecast German investor sentiment and continued concerns about Greece's debt situation.

Oil futures traded below $78 a barrel.

The Nikkei 225 declined 0.8% in Tokyo while the German DAX fell 0.8%.

Steve Goldstein is MarketWatch's London bureau chief.