LONDON -- The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEX: ^DJI) is trading slightly lower in futures markets this morning as investors wait for this month's nonfarm payroll figures, due at 8:30 a.m. EDT. Also due at the same time is June's unemployment rate, expected to remain unchanged from May at 8.2%. Consensus estimates suggest around 100,000 new jobs may have been created in June, an improvement on May but still only half the 200,000 level required to match population growth.

Yesterday's employment figures were slightly better than expected, helping fuel a rise in the CNN Fear & Greed Index, which closed last night in Greed territory once more with a reading of 56.

No major earnings announcements are due today, but companies that may feature in trading include Xyratex, which rose in premarket trading after beating analysts' quarterly earnings expectations, and aluminum giant Alcoa, which declined in German trading this morning.

However, the Dow may also be influenced by events in Europe, where yesterday's triple-play of stimulus operations appears to have done nothing to reassure markets. This morning's news that Spain's industrial output fell by 6.1% year on year in May provided further evidence that the country's austerity program isn't working. Following this news, the yield on Spanish 10-year government bonds reached 7% once again. Yields of more than 7% have triggered previous bailout requests, as they require the borrower to repay approximately twice the amount borrowed.

In other European news, Germany's industrial output rose by 1.6% last month, and AAA-rated euro member state Finland has restated its opposition to continued bailouts, saying that although it is committed to the euro, it will not remain a member at any cost. Most European markets were down by 7 a.m. EDT this morning, with Spain's IBEX 35 leading the plunge, down by 1.4%. German and French markets were also lower, with major European automakers, including Peugeot and BMW, posting the biggest collective fall in the Stoxx 600.

In London, the FTSE 100 (INDEX: ^FTSE) was largely unchanged. Under-pressure insurance giant Aviva (NYSE: AV) led the gainers, rising 3.5% after it announced that it would sell more of its Delta Lloyd shares than originally planned.

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