U.S. futures steady as markets eye Fed, E.Z. talks; Dow Jones up 0.03%

Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a steady open on Monday, as investors eyed the release of the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s August policy meeting later in the week, while hopes for fresh action by the European Central Bank began to fade.

Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.03% gain, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.10% increase, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.09% rise.

Markets were eyeing the minutes of the Fed’s latest policy meeting, after a string of positive U.S. data last week lowered expectations for fresh stimulus measures by the U.S. central bank.

Elsewhere, Germany’s Finance Ministry said he was not aware of any ECB plans to target bond spreads, following media reports that the central bank may set limits on the yields of euro zone government bonds.

German magazine Der Spiegel reported Sunday that the ECB may set an interest rate threshold on purchases of euro-area sovereign debt at its next policy meeting in September, beyond which its bond buying program would be activated.

Meanwhile, investors were looking ahead to a series of euro zone meetings later in the week to discuss measures to ease the debt crisis.

Retailers were expected to be active, after Best Buy said its founder Richard Schulze turned down an offer from the board to conduct due diligence in connection with his proposal to take the company private at a valuation of more than USD8 billion.

Facebook was also likely to be in focus, after the social media giant last week unlocked 271.1 million shares, in the first of five insider sale restrictions scheduled in its first year as a public company.

Separately, the company was said to be facing mounting investor concerns over how it can generate more revenue from its growing user base. Facebook shares tumbled to a record low on Friday, but seemed likely to bounce back on Monday, climbing 1.21% in pre-market trade.

In the energy sector, Golden Pass Products LLC, a joint venture of Exxon Mobil and Qatar Petroleum, was reportedly seeking U.S. authorities' permission to export liquefied natural gas from a terminal near the Texas-Louisiana border.

Elsewhere in company news, insurer Aetna said it signed a deal to buy rival Coventry Health Care for USD5.7 billion in cash and stock, according to the Wall Street Journal, marking the latest move in a string of multi-billion-dollar acquisitions in the U.S. healthcare sector. The news sent Coventry shares surging 20.64% in early trading.

Meanwhile, shares in Sirius XM Radio rallied 3.13% pre-market, as Liberty Media said in a filing to the Federal Communications Commission after trading ended last week that it can take control of the radio provider within 60 days of receiving approval from the regulator.

Other stocks in focus included home appliance chain Lowe's, due to report earnings later in the day.

Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were mixed. The EURO STOXX 50 climbed 0.46%, France’s CAC 40 dipped 0.05%, Germany's DAX advanced 0.40%, while Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.17%.

During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index eased 0.06%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index added 0.09%.

Trade looked likely to remain subdued on Monday, with no significant economic data releases on the calendar, while volumes were light with many market participants on summer holidays.