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Empresas y finanzas

Stock index futures lower ahead of GDP


    LONDON (Reuters) - Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Thursday on global economic recovery worries, with futures for the S&P 500, Dow Jones and Nasdaq down 0.01 to 0.2 percent at 0901 GMT (5:01 a.m. EDT).

    European shares fell for a fourth straight day on Thursday, with investors moving away from riskier assets on concerns about deeper fiscal cuts in Ireland and as Moody's downgraded Spain's government bond ratings.

    At 0901 GMT (5:01 a.m. EDT), the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was down 0.4 percent at 1,060.82 points after hitting a three-week closing low on Wednesday.

    Later in the session, investors will closely watch U.S. second quarter final GDP. Economists in a Reuters survey forecast a 1.6 percent annualized pace of growth, a repeat of the second estimate.

    Also on the macro economic front is the latest U.S. weekly jobless claims and the September ISM New York report will also be released at 1230 GMT, with September's Chicago PMI data due at 1345 GMT.

    In corporate news, Johnson & Johnson's massive recall of faulty medicines, including a quiet buyback of its Motrin painkiller, has angered U.S. lawmakers who will question the company's chief executive and a senior health regulator on Thursday.

    McDonald's Corp may cut health insurance for its nearly 30,000 hourly workers unless U.S. regulators waive a requirement of new health care legislation championed by President Barack Obama, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a company memo.

    Yahoo Inc is losing another three executives, including U.S. head Hilary Schneider, All Things Digital reported on Wednesday, citing sources close to the situation.

    Car rental company Avis Budget Group Inc said on Wednesday it would be willing to include a break-up fee in its offer for Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group if rival Hertz Global Holdings walks away from its own takeover bid for Dollar Thrifty.

    JPMorgan Chase and Co said on Wednesday it is delaying current foreclosure proceedings, adding to worries U.S. mortgage servicers are struggling to deal with the millions of homeowners unable to pay their mortgages.

    The U.S. Senate approved two of President Barack Obama's three nominees to the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, including San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank chief Janet Yellen to serve as vice chairman.

    Elizabeth Warren, the Obama administration's new consumer financial czar, offered an olive branch to the largest U.S. banks on Wednesday, saying she wanted their help in developing a principles-based approach to rulemaking.

    The euro extended its losses against the dollar and yen on Thursday after Ireland's central bank put the price of bailing out Anglo Irish Bank at 34 billion euros ($46 billion).

    Wall Street took a breather from a month-long rally on Wednesday, with investors bracing for higher volatility going forward as the best quarter in a year nears its end. The Dow Jones industrial average shed 0.2 percent, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index dipped 0.3 percent and the Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.1 percent.

    (Reporting by Joanne Frearson; Editing by Mike Nesbit)