LONDON -- After breaking a six-day losing streak by closing up 20 points yesterday, early futures trading suggests the Dow Jones Industrial Average
Today the headline economic news will be the Producer Price Index, which is expected to show a 0.1% fall from last month. News of slowing growth in China may also dampen investors' appetite for risk; figures released overnight showed that year-on-year growth fell from 11.9% in March to 9.3% in April.
However, financial stocks could be the largest casualties on the market in early trading, following news late yesterday that JPMorgan Chase
In this morning's European trading, JPMorgan shares were down by more than 6%. Pre-market trading figures suggest a similar fall in the bank's U.S. stock is likely when the markets open, with Bank of America also attracting negative sentiment.
Over in Europe, the Spanish market lost little time in starting to reverse yesterday's gains as speculation over the country's economic problems continued and anticipation mounted about an announcement due later today about the Spanish government's plans for the banking sector.
Two of Europe's biggest blue chips, Telefonica SA
The FTSE 100
Other major companies that could see strong trading today include Avon, following news that perfume-maker Coty had increased its offer for the company to $24.75 per share -- a 6.5% increase that appears to have new backing from Berkshire Hathaway.
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