Here are 4 tips for today's trading. This will help you decide where you should invest and what to look for:
Investors have caught a mild case of the Monday blues.
U.S. stock futures were inching lower and oil prices remained under pressure.
1) Oil slides
1) Oil slides
Crude dropped 1.5% to hover just above $41 a barrel in electronic trading. Oil has tumbled in recent weeks as the combination of plenty of supplies and sluggish demand weighs on prices.
2) Ruble tumbles
2) Ruble tumbles
Weak oil prices are causing problems for Russia's energy-dependent economy. And there was more bad news Monday, as the ruble hit a 6-month low against the greenback.
3) Earnings updates
3) Earnings updates
There are a few company results to watch out for today, starting with earnings from Estee Lauder (EL) before the market open. Urban Outfitters (URBN) will report this afternoon.
4) International markets
4) International markets
It was a mixed session across global markets. In Europe, Germany's DAX rose 0.4% while the U.K.'s FTSE index inched down 0.1%.
Over to Asia, China's Shanghai Composite closed up 0.7% and the yuan was steady against the U.S. dollar. The stabilization in the Chinese currency helped restore some calm to trading after a surprise devaluation sparked a sell-off on global markets last week.
Japan's economic recovery hit another stumbling block as data showed GDP contracted in the second quarter. The country's benchmark Nikkei index added 0.4%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed down 0.7%.
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