FALL

Stock index futures fell on Wednesday as commodity prices dropped for a second day, pressuring global equity markets.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Wednesday as commodity prices dropped for a second day, pressuring global equity markets.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.5 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.4 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.5 percent at 1000 GMT (5 a.m. ET).

Gold and Silver Prices both fell as London traders returned to work from the New Year shutdown on Tuesday, dropping over 3 percent from yesterday's highs as world stock markets caught up with Wall Street's strong gains.

Investors abandoned red-hot commodity shares on Tuesday, while fears of lower supermarket profits hit food retailers, sending the S&P and Nasdaq lower.

Stocks fell on Tuesday as declines in oil and metals prices dragged down energy and materials shares, while concern about lower supermarket profits hit consumer stocks.

Dmitry ZhdannikovOil held near its highest prices in more than two years in volatile trade on Tuesday, due to accelerating manufacturing activity in developed economies and expectations that U.S. crude inventories will keep falling.

Shares in Japan and China eased on Tuesday as concerns that further Chinese monetary tightening will cool the engine of world economic growth overshadowed Japanese data that pointed to improving demand.

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Nike Inc posted future orders data that missed many analysts' expectations Tuesday, sending shares of the world's largest athletic shoe and clothing maker down almost 6 percent.

The Bank of Japan kept monetary policy steady as widely expected on Tuesday, holding off on easing as it scrutinizes how escalating debt woes in Europe and a U.S.-driven rise in bond yields affect Japan's fragile economy.

Sony Corp's LCD TV sales will likely fall slightly short of a targeted 60 percent rise in unit terms this financial year, a senior executive said, with new 3D TVs unable to resuscitate soft sales in mature markets.

Asian shares fell to their lowest in over a week on Monday, led by a 2 percent slide in Shanghai stocks as thin year-end trading made for exaggerated moves, not helped by mounting tensions on the Korean peninsula.

The Euro rose across the board on Friday helped by its leaders' positive response to creating a facility to safeguard its nations from debt issues like Ireland's, but a rating downgrade by Moody's on the troubled country dampened the sentiment, limiting gains by the single currency.

Applications for jobless benefits in the U.S. fell unexpectedly for the week ended Dec. 11, posting a decline for two consecutive weeks.

Construction of new homes in the U.S. rose during November but permits fell surprisingly, according to a report by the U.S. Commerce Department, indicating that the housing market might face some weakness in the coming months.

Jobless claims dipped for a second week, suggesting growth in the labor market, but data on home construction showed that sector remains stressed even as the economy shows signs of a pick up.

Australian dollar has been trending higher against the US dollar since early Wednesday in New York and the pair seems to be up for a fall within the trending channel, study on AUD/USD 10-minute chart shows.

New U.S. claims for jobless aid fell last week and factory activity in the country's Mid-Atlantic region grew at its quickest pace in more than 5-1/2 years this month, indicating the economic recovery is gaining traction.

Credit card delinquency rates fell at major U.S. lenders in November as fewer consumers fell behind on their bill payments, signaling they are recovering from the stress of the financial crisis.

Japanese stocks fell on Friday after a rise to a seven-month high earlier in the day prompted profit taking, although they outperformed the rest of Asia this week, while U.S. Treasuries steadied on the view yields had risen too high, too quickly.