Asia falls on weaker-than-expected Japanese machine order data; Europe gains after Italian bond yields fell; U.S. futures signal higher opening after Citigroup U.S. equity upgrade.

International

Asia

• Asian stock indexes mostly declined after Japanese machine orders fell more than expected. Standard & Poor's downgrading of Spain's credit rating also weighed on markets.
• The Nikkei slipped 0.58 percent; S&P/ASX 200 eased 0.16 percent; Hang Seng rose 0.38 percent; KOSPI dropped 0.78 percent; the Shanghai Composite fell 0.81 percent.

Europe

• European stock indexes advanced after Italy's bond yields dropped. Look for increases in the Vanguard MSCI Europe ETF (NYSEArca: VGK).
• The IMF said that Greece needs two more years to meet its fiscal and debt targets before it can receive a 130 billion euro bailout.

Domestic

• U.S. stock futures indicated a higher opening after Citigroup upgraded U.S. equities, and as investors await a slew of U.S. economic data today.
• Economists estimate that weekly jobless claims for the week ending Sept. 29 rose from 367,000 to 370,000 a week earlier.

Commodities

All commodities news is as of 7:50 a.m. ET.

Gold and Silver Gain

• Gold advanced 0.40 percent, or $7.08, to $1769.43. Expect escalations in the SPDR Gold Shares physical bullion ETF (NYSEArca: GLD).
• Silver rose 0.68 percent, or $0.23, to $34.21. Expect increases in the iShares Silver Trust (NYSEArca: SLV).

WTI and Brent Oil Rose

• The November contract for WTI crude oil gained 1 percent, or $0.91, to $92.16 per barrel.
• The November contract for Brent crude oil advanced 0.73 percent, or $0.83, to $115.16 per barrel.
• Expect growth both in the United States Oil Fund (NYSEArca: USO) and in the United States Brent Oil Fund (NYSEArca: BNO).

Fund Flows

None as of yet today

ETF Launches

None as of yet today

ETF Filings

None as of yet today

Economic Calendar

Domestic

• International Trade - 8:30 a.m. ET
• Jobless Claims - 8:30 a.m. ET
• Import and Export Prices - 8:30 a.m. ET
• Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index - 9:45 a.m. ET
• EIA Petroleum Status Report - 11:00 a.m. ET
• Fed Balance Sheet - 4:30 p.m. ET
• Money Supply - 4:30 p.m. ET

Americas

• Canada

◦      Merchandise Trade - 8:30 a.m. ET

Europe

• France

◦      CPI - 1:30 a.m. ET

• Germany

◦      CPI - 2:00 a.m. ET

Asia/Pacific

• Japan

◦      CGPI (PPI) - 7:50 p.m. ET

◦      Tertiary Index - 7:50 p.m. ET