US pre-open: Futures edge lower ahead of holiday-shortened session

(Sharecast News) - Wall Street futures were in the red ahead of the open on Wednesday as traders got ready for the Christmas break. As of 1215 GMT, Dow Jones futures were down 0.10%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures had the indices opening 0.09% and 0.08% weaker, respectively.

The Dow closed 79.73 points higher on Tuesday, extending gains recorded in the previous session.

Beyond the seasonal focus on a potential Santa Claus rally - the pattern in which equities often firm over the final five trading days of December and the first two sessions of January - traders were also monitoring a broadly constructive tone across US indices, with tech continuing to lead gains and Nvidia among the morning's most active risers.

Commodities were also in view prior to the open, with gold, silver and platinum easing slightly after recently touching record levels, while crude prices edged higher to a two‑week peak amid disruption to Venezuelan supply.

On the macro front, mortgage applications fell by 5% in the week ended 19 December, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, extending the prior week's 3.8% drop to hit their lowest in more than three months. Applications to refinance a mortgage fell by 5.6% week-on-week, and applications to purchase a home slipped 3.7%.

Still to come, weekly jobless claims figures from the Labor Department will be published at 1330 GMT.

No major corporate earnings were slated for release on Wednesday.









Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com