US equities are now being called to start the day almost unchanged, ahead of this evening's results from aluminium giant Alcoa, which typically marks the start of the corporate earnings season on the other side of the pond.

Fourth-quarter profits at S&P 500 companies grew by an average 2.9% versus year ago levels, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Excluding financial companies, earnings are thought to have increased by 0.5%.

Seed company Monsanto has surpassed first fiscal-quarter earnings and boosted its full-year forecast.

Yum! Brands, owner of the KFC fast-food chain, reported same-store sales which fell more than expected after a Chinese government probe into one of its former suppliers.

Analysts at BB&T Capital Markets have downgraded their view on Boeing.

Same store retail sales dropped 4.2% last week, according to the latest survey data from ICSC.

The NFIB's small company confidence index improved slightly, to 88 points in November (Consensus: 87.2) after a reading of 87.8 in the month before.

West Texas crude futures are now rising by 0.17% to the 93.49 dollar mark on the NYMEX.

10 year US Treasury yields are now lower by 2 basis points, to 1.89%.

AB

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