Indications: U.S. stock futures rise as deals continue

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By Kate Gibson and Polya Lesova, MarketWatch

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures stepped modestly higher Tuesday as investors embraced another round of deal-making and as economic data pointed to improving conditions in the U.S. and overseas.

After a round of M&A action roused Wall Street on Monday, drug developer Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!endp/quotes/nls/endp (ENDP 33.25, +2.64, +8.62%)  said Tuesday that it would acquire Qualitest Pharmaceuticals for $1.2 billion.

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“These deals and the recent increases in dividend payouts are a reminder that corporations are flush with cash,” Marc Pado, U.S. market strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald, wrote in a research note.

“The cash is out there for significant consolidation in the months to come,” Pado added.

Stock futures extended their mild advance after the S&P/Case-Shiller report found home prices rising 0.6% in July.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average /quotes/comstock/19*!dy10z (DJZ10 10,790, +40.00, +0.37%)  added 31 points to 10,781.

S&P 500 futures /quotes/comstock/21m!f1:sp\z10 (SPZ10 1,140, +2.50, +0.22%)  gained 3.4 points to 1,141.1, while Nasdaq 100 futures /quotes/comstock/21m!f:nd\z10 (NDZ10 2,007, -0.25, -0.01%)  gained 10.25 points to 2,017.5.

The blue-chip Dow index /quotes/comstock/10w!i:dji/delayed (DJIA 10,838, +26.00, +0.24%)  dropped 0.4% Monday, but remains up 8% so far in September.

The Asian Development Bank hiked its outlook for the region’s economic growth this year, and a gauge of consumer confidence climbed in Germany.

The reports come ahead of data on U.S. consumer confidence later in the session.

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The Treasury is scheduled to sell $35 billion in 5-year notes.

On the corporate front, Walgreen Co. /quotes/comstock/13*!wag/quotes/nls/wag (WAG 33.59, +3.24, +10.68%)  reported a rise in fiscal fourth-quarter profit and expressed confidence in future earnings growth.

Research In Motion Ltd. /quotes/comstock/15*!rimm/quotes/nls/rimm (RIMM 46.60, -1.76, -3.64%)   /quotes/comstock/11t!rim (CA:RIM 48.22, -1.45, -2.92%)  will also be in the spotlight after it unveiled a touch-screen tablet device, called the BlackBerry PlayBook, late Monday.

Shares of Bank of Ireland /quotes/comstock/13*!ire/quotes/nls/ire (IRE 3.00, -0.19, -5.95%)  dropped in premarket trading on concerns over Ireland’s banking sector.

Commodity prices traded lower, with oil futures falling 65 cents to $75.87 a barrel in electronic trading on Globex. Gold futures dropped $10 to $1,288.80 an ounce.

The dollar index /quotes/comstock/11j!i:dxy0 (DXY 78.92, -0.47, -0.59%)  , which tracks the performance of the greenback against a basket of other major currencies, traded at 79.431.

Kate Gibson is a reporter for MarketWatch, based in New York. Polya Lesova is reporter for MarketWatch, based in Frankfurt.

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NYSE Arca Morning Update - 08:30:00 ET

NYSE Arca Morning Update for Tuesday, Sep 28, 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 Monday's Close Current Price Pct Change Current NYSE ARCA Vol
VRX $63.45 $26.75 (57.8%) 1,250

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 $41,245,193 $114.42 0.1% | BAC 1,719,987 $13.32 0.5%
BAC $22,923,803 $13.32 0.5% | C 1,042,200 $3.89 0.6%
GLD $16,014,302 $125.60 ( 0.9%) | SPY 360,752 $114.42 0.1%
BIDU $8,274,184 $105.24 1.3% | DRYS 313,236 $4.80 7.3%
AAPL $7,789,903 $291.59 0.2% | IRE 296,311 $3.04 ( 5.0%)
EWZ $6,437,604 $74.80 0.6% | XLF 200,750 $14.45 0.0%
WAG $5,138,142 $32.67 7.6% | WAG 158,291 $32.67 7.6%
C $4,049,902 $3.89 0.6% | AGNC 132,442 $26.42 ( 5.6%)
RIMM $3,895,255 $48.40 0.1% | GLD 127,166 $125.60 ( 0.9%)
AGNC $3,495,104 $26.42 ( 5.6%) | VRSK 104,436 $27.55 ( 0.0%)

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.
Any opinions expressed in this material are NYSE Arca opinions only.
NYSE Arca undertakes no obligation to update any of the information contained in this material in light of new information or future events.
THIS MATERIAL IS PROVIDED BY NYSE ARCA "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.
NYSE ARCA DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY, TITLE, AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AS TO THIS MATERIAL.
IN NO EVENT SHALL NYSE ARCA BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOST PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES AND DAMAGES THAT MAY RESULT FROM THE USE
OF THIS MATERIAL, ANY DELAY OR INTERRUPTION OF SERVICE OR OMISSIONS OR INACCURACIES IN THE MATERIAL) WITH RESPECT TO THIS MATERIAL.

Copyright [2010] by NYSE Euronext. All rights reserved. Reproduction and redistribution prohibited without prior express consent.

Indications: U.S. stock futures edge up ahead of data

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By Polya Lesova, MarketWatch

FRANKFURT (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures traded marginally higher on Tuesday, as investors largely retreated to the sidelines ahead of data on house prices and consumer confidence.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average /quotes/comstock/19*!dy10z (DJZ10 10,712, -38.00, -0.35%)  rose 23 points to 10,773.

S&P 500 futures /quotes/comstock/21m!f1:sp\z10 (SPZ10 1,139, +1.00, +0.09%)  added 2.70 points to 1,140.40, while Nasdaq 100 futures /quotes/comstock/21m!f:nd\z10 (NDZ10 2,013, +5.75, +0.29%)  gained 5.50 points to 2,012.70.

The blue-chip Dow index /quotes/comstock/10w!i:dji/delayed (DJIA 10,812, -48.22, -0.44%)  dropped 0.4% on Monday, but remains up 8% so far in September.

Asian equities overnight ended lower, with Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average falling 1.1%. In Europe, equity markets also posted broad-based losses, pressured by worries over sovereign-debt levels in Ireland and Spain. The Stoxx Europe 600 index /quotes/comstock/22c!sxxp (ST:SXXP 261.43, -1.49, -0.57%)  declined 0.4% in late morning trading.

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S&P 500 (1 YEAR)

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THE MARKET BY SECTOR | Industries • Tech Stocks | Energy Stocks | Retail Stocks • Financials | Airline Stocks | Pharma and Biotech

EXPANDED MARKETS NEWS • Bonds | Oil news | Gold news • Currencies | Market Data | Economic Calendar • See all the latest markets video

/conga/story/misc/markets.html 84614

“It looks like there is a lot of concern about European debt levels, primarily problems in Ireland, which appear to be weighing on the market yet again,” said Peter Dixon, a strategist at Commerzbank in London.

“I think, to a large extent, the concerns are a bit overdone,” he said. “I don’t really have such a negative view on Ireland as the markets do right now. A bit of risk aversion is creeping back into the markets.”

Moody’s Investors Service on Monday downgraded the senior debt rating of Anglo Irish Bank. Meanwhile, rumors circulated in the media that the ratings agency may downgrade Spain’s credit rating this week.

In Madrid, the benchmark IBEX-35 stock index /quotes/comstock/20r!i:ib (XX:IBEX 10,478, -134.90, -1.27%)  slipped 1.5% in intraday trading, while Greece’s ASE Composite index (XX:COMPO 1,496, -17.93, -1.18%)   fell 1.9%.

In the U.S., investors are awaiting the S&P/Case-Shiller home-price index for July, which will be released at 9 a.m. Eastern time.

Data on September consumer confidence will follow at 10 a.m. Eastern, with most economists expecting a decline. The Treasury, meanwhile, is scheduled to sell $35 billion in five-year notes.

On the corporate front, Walgreen Co. /quotes/comstock/13*!wag/quotes/nls/wag (WAG 30.35, -0.01, -0.03%)  is due to report quarterly results before the market opens.

Research In Motion Ltd. /quotes/comstock/15*!rimm/quotes/nls/rimm (RIMM 48.36, -0.51, -1.04%)   /quotes/comstock/11t!rim (CA:RIM 49.67, 0.00, 0.00%)  will also be in the spotlight after it unveiled late Monday a touch-screen tablet device called the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Commodity prices traded lower, with oil futures falling 72 cents to $75.80 a barrel in electronic trading on Globex. Gold futures dropped $8 to $1,290.60 an ounce.

The dollar index /quotes/comstock/11j!i:dxy0 (DXY 79.32, -0.08, -0.10%)  , which tracks the performance of the greenback against a basket of other major currencies, gained 0.2% to 79.481.

Polya Lesova is reporter for MarketWatch, based in Frankfurt.

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