Futures Sag After Records Repeat With Asia Opening Mixed

Futures for U.S. markets were lower late Monday after investors pushed all three major U.S. indices to fresh records during regular trading amid a dearth of bad news.

Futures for Nasdaq were off 0.09%, while the S&P 500 trimmed 0.1% and the Dow Jones Industrials 0.09% at 10:06 p.m. EDT.

U.S. indices closed at renewed records Monday after setting fresh records last week. So far, economic indicators have been positive, with higher-than-expected job growth last month, and investors are optimistic about notes from the Federal Open Market Committee’s July meeting that will be released Wednesday.

A recovery in oil prices Monday helped bolster investor confidence.

The Nasdaq closed Monday 0.56% higher at 5,262.02 points, the S&P, 0.28% to 2,190.15, and the Dow, 0.32% to 18,636.05.

The upbeat week started weakly in Europe, where Germany’s Dax closed up 0.24%, and London’s FTSE, 0.36% higher, but France’s Cac pared 0.05%.

Asia opened mixed, unimpressed by the U.S. records. Investors in Japan are still digesting economic data that showed the economy there all but stalled in the second quarter despite stimulus proposals from the country’s government and prime minister. Investors were also disappointed by oil’s inability to hang on to Monday’s gains.

Japan’s Nikkei and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng both pared 0.2%, while South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.22% at 9:51 p.m. EDT.

After gaining nearly 3% in U.S. trade, oil pulled back as Asian investors awoke. Futures for industry standard Brent crude was off 0.56% at $48.08 per barrel for October delivery, while West Texas crude for September delivery lost 0.52% to $45.50 per barrel at 10:08 p.m. EDT.

The pound has also been unable to sustain itself above $1.30 and was 0.01% higher at $1.2881 at 10:20 p.m EDT, while the yen slipped against 0.3% against the dollar to ¥100.968 at 10:24 p.m. EDT.

In after-hours trading, food companies continued to give investors upset stomachs. New Hyde, NY-based organic foods company Hain Celestial (HAIN) said it would delay the release of its fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year earnings pushing its shares down 22.73% to $53.40.

Hain said it is evaluating whether the revenue associated with certain U.S. concessions was properly accounted for in the correct period. The company is also evaluating its internal control over financial reporting.