U.S. stock futures edged lower Wednesday ahead of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's second day of testimony on the economy and monetary policy.
S&P 500 futures fell 0.1% and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were down 0.1%. The contracts don't necessarily predict moves after the markets open.
In Europe, the Stoxx Europe 600 gained 0.2% in morning trade. Industrials and energy sectors led gains while consumer staples and materials sectors lost ground.
Solvay jumped 4.5% for a four-session run of gains and easyJet climbed 2.3%.
The U.K.'s FTSE 100 was down 0.5%. Other stock indexes in Europe were mixed as France's CAC 40 added 0.2% and U.K.'s FTSE 250 rose 0.3%, whereas Germany's DAX lost 0.3%.
The Swiss franc slipped 0.1% against the U.S. dollar, with 1 franc buying $1.10. Meanwhile, the euro and the British pound strengthened 0.1% against the dollar.
In commodities, Brent crude and gold were both little changed.
German 10-year bund yields slipped to minus 0.325% and the 10-year U.K. government debt known as gilts yield was down to 0.707%. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield declined to 1.342% from 1.363%. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Indexes in Asia mostly slipped as Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 2.9% after gaining 0.5% during the session, Japan's Nikkei 225 index shed 1.6%, and China's benchmark Shanghai Composite lost 2%.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
02-24-21 0359ET
