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Best Buy up, sees smaller annual sales drop
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Medtronic down, lowers FY profit outlook
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Tesla attempts to recoup losses post slump
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Futures up: Dow 0.44%, S&P 0.49%, Nasdaq 0.40%
Nov 22 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes were set
to open higher on Tuesday, with gains in shares of Walgreens and
Best Buy helping investors assuage worries around the economic
fallout of stricter COVID-19 curbs in China.
Leading gains among S&P 500 components trading before
the bell, Best Buy Co Inc jumped 9.1% after forecasting
a smaller-than-expected drop in annual sales ahead of the
crucial holiday season.
Dow component Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc
rose 1.7% after Cowen & Co upgraded the drug distributor stock,
citing its healthcare services business push.
Markets, however, remained cautious as China strengthened
its fight against COVID-19 with Beijing shutting parks, malls
and museums, while other cities resumed mass testing.
"The markets are moved by China again. Dynamic zero COVID
again," said Thomas Hayes, chairman at Great Hill Capital in New
York.
Hayes said there was a little bit of relief in risk markets,
with the dollar and yield on the 10-year Treasury note lower.
"You're going to see tech and semis getting a bid," he said.
Shares of chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices Inc rose
1.0%, while Apple Inc added 0.4%.
Tesla Inc shares attempted to recoup some declines,
rising 1.5%, after falling 6.8% in the previous session when the
electric-vehicle maker said it will recall vehicles in the
United States.
Meanwhile, U.S.-listed shares of Chinese companies including
Pinduoduo Inc, Bilibili Inc and JD.com Inc
slipped between 1.8% and 2.8%.
At 8:54 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were up 148 points, or
0.44%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 19.25 points, or 0.49%,
and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 46 points, or 0.4%.
Wall Street's main indexes ended lower on Monday, although
comments from Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta
Mester, supporting a smaller rate hike in December helped pare
those declines.
San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly also stressed on
Monday the need to be careful to avoid a "painful downturn".
Investors will keep a watch on remarks by St. Louis
President James Bullard and Kansas City President Esther George,
while awaiting minutes from the Fed's November meeting on
Wednesday for clarity on the monetary policy tightening path.
Among other stocks, Medtronic Plc slipped 4.7% after
the medical device company lowered its full-year profit outlook,
while Zoom Video Communications dropped 7% after cutting
its annual revenue forecast.
Analysts expect thin trading volumes as markets will be shut
on Thursday for Thanksgiving holiday and will remain open for
half day on Friday.
(Reporting by Ankika Biswas and Shreyashi Sanyal in Bengaluru;
Additional reporting by Medha Singh and Shubham Batra; Editing
by Arun Koyyur)