Stock Futures Slide as Emerging-Market Fears Swirl

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Concerns that fresh tumult in emerging markets could spill over into bigger marketplaces sent U.S. stock-index futures sliding in choppy action Friday.

Today's Markets

As of 8:10 a.m. ET, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 91 points, or 0.56%, S&P 500 futures dipped 11 points, or 0.6%, to 1813 and Nasdaq 100 futures slumped 20.3 points, or 0.56%, to 3593.

The foreign exchange market was in focus Friday after Argentina moved to devalue its currency. The Argentine peso has tumbled 12.7% in the biggest devaluation in more than a decade, according to Nomura, as the government struggles to control its foreign reserves and attempts to boost its fragile economy. Other emerging-market currencies like the Turkish lira also took a beating.

Michael Block, chief strategist at Rhino Trading Partners, said the reason moves in these currencies are hitting U.S. markets is because of correlation. He said the same investors that trade U.S. stocks and Treasuries also engage in currency trading. As those people swiftly adjust positions abroad, they also need to make changes to their portfolio of U.S. holdings.

"This is the only reason why Argentina matters," he said, "that said, this will blow over soon."

Peter Boockvar, chief market analyst at The Lindsey Group, added that as the Federal Reserve eases its vast asset-purchase program -- called QE3 -- issues that had been brewing will bubble to the surface.

"This is contagion from the Fed and the possibility of no more QE. Who cares about Argentina, they’ve been a mess for many years," he said. "QE covers up all the warts and blemishes and once it starts going away, they all come to the surface."

On the corporate front, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) posted quarterly profits that easily beat expectations after the closing bell on Thursday. Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) posted a slight quarterly beat on the bottom line, and top-line results that matched expectations.

Elsewhere, in commodities, U.S. crude oil futures fell 25 cents, or 0.26%, to $97.07 a barrel. Wholesale New York Harbor gasoline fell 0.48% to $2.649 a gallon. Gold rose $7, or 0.55%, to $1,270 a troy ounce.

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