Australia: -0.45% today.

Nikkei 225 (Japan): +0.60% today.

Europe flat at mid-day:

FTSE 100 (UK): +0.10% at 12:00 PM.

DAX (Germany): -0.24% at 1:00 PM

CAC 40 (France): +0.22% at 1:00 PM

SPY pre market open: +0.1% at 107.78 at 7:20 AM EST

QQQQ pre market open: +0.2 at 7:20 AM

An flat open this morning.

Economic Indicators: None.

Earnings Announcements: Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) maker of drug store products, announces earnings today.

After the Close Earnings Announcements: Intel (INTC) maker of processor chips, Altera Corp (ALTR) makes programmable logic devices, CSX (CSX) railroad freight lines, Linear Technology (LLTC) makes linear integrated circuits, and Audiovox (VOXX) distributor of car radios and cd players, announce earnings after the close.

Australia: +1.90%

Nikkei 225 (Japan): +2.34%

Asia up as a knock=on effect of US Monday return?

FTSE 100 (UK): +0.56% at 10 AM

DAX (Germany): +0.77% at 11 AM

CAC 40 (France): +2.31% at 11 AM

Europe up moderately.

S&P 500 (Globex): 0.0% at 5:21 AM

Nasdaq (Globex): 0.1%

Economic Indicators: June retail sales comes out at 8:29 AM EST. Retail sales are 10% lower than last year. The consensus estimate is that June sales are +0.4% over May.

The Producer Price Index (PPI) for June comes out at 8:29 AM too. It is expected to show a 1% rise over May. Core PPI is up 3% year over year.

Business inventories is expected to show a 0.8% drop in June over May when announced at 9:59 AM EST. The inventory to sales ratio has shot up to 1.44 since sales have fallen by 15%, while inventories only by 5% year over year.

Goldman Sachs (GS) before the market opens, Intel (IITC) after the close and DELL has a call before the open, Johnson and Johnson (JNJ), and Yum! Brands(YUM) after the market closes, and Altera Corp (ALTR) after the close announce earnings.