By Steve Goldstein, MarketWatch
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures on Wednesday recaptured a portion of the prior day's losses as worries about the ability of various countries to repay their debt continued to impact markets.
S&P 500 futures rose 4.6 points to 1,094.70 and Nasdaq 100 futures added 7.5 points to 1,776.00. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 36 points.
A flurry of negative reports from leading rating agencies on the ability of countries ranging from the U.S. to Greece to service their debt dragged U.S., and world, stocks lower on Tuesday, albeit in thin trade. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 104 points, the S&P 500 lost 11 points and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 16 points.
The finance minister of Greece on Wednesday pledged that the country would not default on its debt obligations, though shares of Greek banks including National Bank of Greece (NBG 5.45, -0.56, -9.32%) declined again.
Dubai stocks lost around 6% for the third day in succession as worries about the emirate's ability to pay off debt continue.
Japan's third-quarter growth was revised down to 0.3% from an initial estimate of 1.2%.
Banks will be in the spotlight as the U.K. Chancellor Alistair Darling delivers what's called a "pre-budget report" due to start at 7:30 a.m. Eastern. A tax on either bonuses, or bank bonus pools, is expected to be unveiled. Hard-hit Ireland also will be announcing a budget.
The U.S. calendar is limited to wholesale inventories for October, at 10 a.m. Eastern, and weekly energy inventories at 10:30 a.m.
Oil futures bounced off weekly lows, rising over $1 a barrel.
Of companies in the spotlight, microchip maker Texas Instruments (TXN 26.33, -0.29, -1.09%) lifted its fourth-quarter outlook.
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS 10.40, +0.42, +4.21%) and Sempra Energy (SRE 54.98, 0.00, 0.00%) are looking to jointly sell their commodities trading arm, The Wall Street Journal reported. RBS has previously been ordered by the European Commission to sell its 51% stake.
Procter & Gamble (PG 61.87, -0.60, -0.96%) is near a deal to buy Sara Lee's (SLE 12.14, -0.17, -1.38%) European air-freshener business, in a deal that could be worth around $700 million, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The Nikkei 225 dropped 1.3% in Tokyo while the FTSE 100 edged up 0.1%.
