US PRE MARKET

The S&P 500 Futures are trading at 2,691.75 for up with +0.29% percent or +7.75 point. Other U.S. stock futures are higher in pre-market trading for Wednesday, December 20. The Dow Futures are trading at 24,853.00 for up with +0.31% percent or +78.00 point. The Nasdaq Futures are trading at 6,521.88 for up with +0.33% percent or +23.01 point.

WEDNESDAY’S FACTORS AND EVENTS

U.S. government debt prices were higher on Wednesday, as investors turn their focus to the current state of overhauling the U.S. tax system.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was lower at around 2.450 percent at 5:05 a.m. ET, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was down at 2.815 percent. Bond yields move inversely to prices.

Investors are likely to be on tenterhooks during Wednesday’s session, as markets await news surrounding U.S. tax cuts. On Tuesday, House Republicans approved amendments to the U.S. tax code.

 Markets however remain in wait-and-see mode as members will have to vote on the final bill again during Wednesday’s session, following news that lawmakers appeared to have violated the Byrd Rule, which is a Senate procedural measure.

TUESDAY’S ACTIVITY

U.S. market were lower on Tuesday. For the day the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 24,754.75 with a loss of –0.15% percent or –37.45 point. The S&P 500 closed at 2,681.47  with a loss of –0.32% percent or –8.69 point. The Nasdaq Composite closed at 6,963.85 with a loss of  –0.44%percent or  –30.91 point.

Other leading market index closes included the small-cap Russell 2000 Index closed at 1,536.75  with a loss of -0.79% percent or -12.17 point; the S&P 600 Small-Cap Index closed at 936.62 with a loss of -0.90% percent or -8.50 point; the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index closed at 1,897.03 with a loss of –0.43% percent or –8.27 point; the S&P 100 Index closed at 1,188.29 with a loss of -0.33% percent or -3.93 point; the Russell 3000 Index closed at 1,586.16  with a loss of  –0.36% percent or  –5.80 point; the Russell 1000 Index closed at 1,485.15  with a lossof -0.33% percent or -4.91 point; and the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index closed at 24,754.75  with a loss of –0.15% percent or –37.45 point.

WORLD MARKETS

In overnight trading in the Eastern Hemisphere,Japan’s Nikkei 225 are trading at 22,891.72 for up with +0.10% percent or +23.72 point. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng are trading at 29,204.61 with a loss of –0.17% percent or  –49.05 point. China’s Shanghai Composite are trading at 3,287.61 with  a loss of –0.27% percent or –8.93 point. India’s BSE Sensex are trading at 33,884.89 for up with +0.14% percent or  +48.15 point at 12:15 PM.The FTSE 100 are trading at 7,530.34 with a loss of –0.18% percent or  –14.13 point. Germany’s DAX are trading at 13,191.41 with  a loss of –0.24% percent or  –31.40 point. France’s CAC 40 are trading at 5,365.42 with a loss of –0.32% percent or –17.48 point. The Stoxx Europe 600 are trading at 390.32 witha loss of -0.18% percent or -0.70 point.