U.S. futures edge lower, focus on Fed; Dow Jones down 0.11%

Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a lower open on Monday, as concerns over a global economic slowdown re-emerged following weak Chinese data, while investors hoped for fresh easing measures by the Federal Reserve.

Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.11% fall, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.18% drop, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.15% decline.

Investor confidence weakened after official trade data earlier showed that Chinese imports fell unexpectedly by 2.6% from a year earlier, while exports grew just 2.7%, below expectations.

Meanwhile, investors were eyeing the outcome of the Fed’s policy meeting on Thursday, after disappointing employment data on Friday fueled fresh speculation that the U.S. central bank may announce a third round of quantitative easing to boost growth.

Markets were also jittery ahead of a highly anticipated German court ruling on the constitutionality of the European Stability Mechanism, scheduled on Wednesday.

Commodity-related stocks were expected to be active amid reports oil giant BP is in talks to sell some of its Gulf of Mexico oil fields to Plains Exploration & Production for around USD7 billion, as the U.K. oil firm looks to raise money to pay for damages from the 2010 oil spill. BP shares dropped 0.33% in pre-market trade.

Separately, Swiss mining group Glencore laid out its revised USD36 billion all-share bid for Xstrata, warning it would not improve the terms again as it outlined a fresh offer that made some concessions to shareholders.

Financial stocks were also likely to be in focus, as Goldman Sachs and private equity firm CVC Capital Partners were said to have proposed a debt-for-equity swap for CVC's Australian television network Nine.

The deal would wipe out CVC's equity and pass control to its lenders.

Meanwhile, JPMorgan was reportedly considering smaller bonuses for CEO James Dimon and other executives, while Citigroup was said to be rethinking executive pay structure, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Elsewhere, Apple was set to remain in the spotlight, two days before the expected launch of the next iPhone.

Pandora saw shares tumble over 16% on Friday, after Apple announced its intention to enter the streaming music space.

Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were mixed to lower. The EURO STOXX 50 dropped 0.32%, France’s CAC 40 fell 0.12%, Germany's DAX inched up 0.01%, while Britain's FTSE 100 dipped 0.03%.

During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.13%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index eased 0.03%.

Trade looked likely to remain subdued on Monday, with no significant economic data releases on the calendar.