By Amanda Cooper
The fall came after a key measure of service sector
activity saw a shock drop its lowest level since October 2001.
A warning from credit rating agency Fitch that it may cut the
AAA-rating on MBIA Inc
The indicative Dow Jones index <.DJII> was flat, having fallen by as much as 0.3 percent.
"Last night was probably just part of a normal two-day correction, as so far we are seeing some buying in Europe."
Cisco, the world's top maker of routers, switches and other equipment, reports fourth quarter earnings later in the day. The company said back in November it had been hit by a dramatic drop in orders from U.S. banks squeezed by the global credit crunch.
Walt Disney
The most actively traded among U.S. stocks listed in
Germany was Microsoft Corp's
(Editing by Richard Hubbard)