U.S. stocks futures point to losses after N.Y. Ebola news

U.S. stocks futures point to losses after N.Y. 

Published: Oct 23, 2014 9:41 p.m. ET

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By

MICHAELKITCHEN

ASIA EDITOR

 

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures pointed to losses at the Friday open, and Asian shares lost ground in morning trade, with the moves coinciding with reports of a new Ebola case in New York City. Thursday night, roughly 12 hours ahead of the open, futures for the Dow Jones Industrial AverageDJIA, +1.32% suggested a 0.6% loss, while the Nasdaq 100 futures implied a 0.8% drop, and those for the S&P 500 SPX, +1.23% showed a 0.7% decline. Likewise, Asian indexes moved off their early Friday highs, with South Korea's KospiSEU, -0.48% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index HSI, -0.61% both showing losses, though those markets were also influenced by local factors. The declines, particularly for the U.S. futures, came shortly after reports that a doctor just back from West Africa had tested positive for the Ebola virus. Of six previous Ebola patients on U.S. soil, five have recovered and one -- who had arrived in the country already carrying the virus -- has died, but the markets remain sensitive to any indication the disease could spread in the country.