BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - The Retail Sales and Homebuilder
Confidence data might be getting much attention on Wednesday.

Early signs from the U.S. Futures Index suggest that Wall Street might open
lower.
As of 8.10 am ET, the Dow futures were down 18.00 points, the S&P 500 futures
were declining 1.00 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures were sliding 9.50 points.

The U.S. major averages finished higher on Tuesday. The tech-heavy Nasdaq led
the way higher, advancing 122.94 points or 0.8 percent to a new record closing
high of 16,511.18. The S&P 500 climbed 25.26 points or 0.5 percent to 5,246.68
and the Dow rose 126.60 points or 0.3 percent to 39,558.11.

On the economic front, the Consumer Price Index or CPI for April will be issued
at 8.30 am ET. The consensus is for an increase of 0.3 percent, while it was up
0.4 percent in the prior month.

The Empire State Manufacturing Index for May is scheduled at 8.30 am ET. The
consensus is for minus $10.0, while the April index was minus 14.3.

The Business Inventories for March is expected at 10.00 am ET. The consensus is
0.0 percent, while it was up 0.4 percent in February.

The Housing Market Index for May will be published at 10.00 am ET. The consensus
is 51, while in April the index was 51.

The Energy Information Administration or EIA's Petroleum Status report for the
week will be released at 10.30 am ET. In the prior week, the crude oil
inventories were down 1.4 million barrels and the gasoline inventories were up
0.9 million barrels.

The Treasury International Capital for March will be issued at 4.00 pm ET. In
the April period, the net long-term securities transactions were $71.5 billion.

Asian stocks ended mixed on Wednesday. Chinese markets fell notably. The
benchmark Shanghai Composite index dropped 0.82 percent to 3,119.90.

The Hong Kong and South Korean markets were closed for Buddha's birthday.

Japanese shares ended on a flat note. The Nikkei average finished marginally
higher at 38,385.73. The broader Topix index ended with a negative bias at
2,730.88.

Australian markets closed higher. The benchmark S&P ASX 200 rose 0.35 percent to
7,753.70 while the broader All Ordinaries index closed up 0.32 percent at
8,020.90.



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