U.S. Stock-Index Futures Fall; Wal-Mart Declines in Europe
By Sarah Thompson
March 27 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stock-index futures dropped before a report that will probably show consumer confidence fell last month, providing more evidence that the economy is slowing.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. slid in Germany after a U.K. newspaper said the company is considering a possible offer for J Sainsbury Plc. Lennar Corp., the largest U.S. homebuilder, said earnings tumbled in the fiscal first-quarter and it won't achieve its profit goal for 2007. The shares didn't trade in Europe.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined for the first time in six days yesterday, led by financial and industrial companies, after an unexpected decline in new-home sales. Confidence among consumers slid this month from a five-year high, economists said before today's report.
``Both slowing economic and earnings growth are likely to contribute to increased volatility for stocks,'' said Robert Doll, chief investment officer at BlackRock Inc., which oversees more than $1 trillion in Plainsboro, New Jersey. ``We continue to encourage investors to exercise caution in the short-term.''
Standard & Poor's 500 Index futures expiring in June lost 1.4 to 1443.90 at 10:55 a.m. in London. Dow average futures slid 8 to 12,525, and Nasdaq-100 Index futures dropped 2 to 1816.25.
The New York-based Conference Board's index of consumer confidence fell to 108.5 from 112.5 in February, according to a Bloomberg survey of 65 economists. The index would still be higher than 2006's 105.9 average.
The Conference Board, a private research group, is scheduled to release the data at 10 a.m. New York time.
Lennar Corp., the biggest U.S. homebuilder by revenue, and Accenture Ltd., the world's second-largest consulting firm, report earnings today. The stocks didn't trade in Europe.
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart dropped 16 cents to $47.68 in Germany. The world's largest retailer said it has not contacted the U.K. Office of Fair Trading about a possible bid for Sainsbury, Britain's third-biggest supermarket chain.
Wal-Mart is ``seeking soundings'' from competition regulators about whether it may bid for London-based Sainsbury, the Independent newspaper reported today, without saying where the information came from.
``As far as I'm aware, no talks have occurred,'' OFT spokesman Nick Spears said today by telephone.
Johnson & Johnson, the world's biggest health-care products company, won a bid to purchase Beijing Dabao Cosmetics Co., the Shanghai Securities News said, citing two sources it didn't name. The shares lost 16 cents to $60.09 in Germany.
Companies including Unilever NV and Avon Products Inc. had expressed interest in Dabao, the newspaper reported.
Falling Profit
Lennar said net income for the three months ended Feb. 28 declined to $68.6 million from $258.1 million. The biggest drop in U.S. home sales since 1990 is battering the building industry. Profit is falling as the inventory of unsold homes swells and companies boost incentives to entice buyers.
Accenture Ltd., the world's second-largest consulting firm, reports second-quarter results after the close of U.S. exchanges.
Neither companies' shares traded in Europe.
Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. yesterday said earnings will be as low as $3 a share this year. Analysts, on average, projected $3.07 in a Bloomberg survey. The shares, which didn't trade today in Europe, fell $2.20 to $57.10 in extended U.S. trading yesterday.
ITC Holdings Corp. may be active after shares of the only publicly traded electricity-transmission company in the U.S. were rated ``overweight'' in new coverage at JPMorgan Chase & Co. The shares didn't trade in Europe.
Ingersoll-Rand, PDL BioPharma
Ingersoll-Rand Co., the maker of Bobcat backhoes and Thermo-King refrigerated trucks, may be active after UBS AG lowered its recommendation on the shares to ``neutral'' from ``buy,'' saying that ``consensus estimates are at risk.'' The stock didn't trade in Europe.
PDL BioPharma Inc. rose 26 cents to $20.66 in Germany. The drugmaker was recommended by CNBC host Jim Cramer on his ``Mad Money'' television program after shareholder Daniel Loeb of Third Point LCC asked the board to add four new directors of his choice. Loeb and his firm want to ``start extracting some real value from PDL BioPharma,'' Cramer said.
The Dow average slid 11.94, or 0.1 percent, to 12,469.07. The S&P 500 added 1.39, or 0.1 percent, to 1437.50. The Nasdaq increased 6.70, or 0.3 percent, to 2455.63.
To contact the reporter on this story: Sarah Thompson in London at sthompson17@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: March 27, 2007 06:33 EDT
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