Options Trading News

U.S. stock futures are falling after weak economic data from China halts five days of gains.

The major indexes are indicated to open lower by about 0.3 percent. European indexes fell by similar amounts, while Asian markets posted slightly bigger losses in the overnight session.

China reported that exports rose just 1 percent in July, far less than had been expected. Industrial output also grew at the slowest pace in three years and retail sales missed expectations. Banks including Deutsche Bank and Barclays responded by lowering growth forecasts.

The risk-appetite thesis also took a hit after the International Energy Agency cut its forecast for oil prices because of weakening demand for energy.

Those headlines are combining to push commodities lower and the U.S. dollar higher. Crude fell about 1.4 percent, natural gas dropped 2.6 percent and copper fell 1.5 percent. Gold and silver are also weak, although most agricultural commodities are positive.

Currencies associated with global growth are down, including the euro, the Australian dollar and the Canadian dollar. The yen is also higher against the greenback, another sign of risk aversion.

The big premarket mover is J.C. Penney, which reported a wider-than-expected quarterly loss and weak sales. It also abandoned full-year guidance. Research in Motion is higher on a report that International Business Machines has expressed interest in the company's enterprise division.