LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. stock futures pointed to a lower open for equities on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 falling 0.8 to 0.9 percent.
Trade in Europe and Asia was dominated by political developments in France and the Netherlands which raised fears about the euro zone’s commitment to tackling its debt crisis.
Swiss food group Nestle is to buy U.S. drugmaker Pfizer’s infant nutrition business for $ 11.85 billion, beating out French rival Danone in the battle to gain preeminence in the lucrative baby food market.
AstraZeneca has agreed to buy U.S. biotech company Ardea Biosciences for $ 1.26 billion, giving it access to a new drug for treating gout patients in the latest deal to try and bolster its weak drug pipeline.
Financial leaders from around the world, who wrapped up talks in Washington over the weekend, agreed to provide the International Monetary Fund with a further $ 430 billion to safeguard economies from the euro zone debt crisis.
Beam Inc is set to buy Pinnacle vodka and rum brand Calico Jack from White Rock Distilleries Inc for around $ 600 million in cash, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.
Allegations that Wal-Mart Stores stymied an internal investigation into extensive bribery at its Mexican subsidiary are likely to lead to years of regulatory scrutiny and could eventually cost some executives their jobs.
Major companies announcing results included Xerox and Texas Instruments.