Stocks set to open lower

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Xavier Manchishi 23 April 2011 NKWAZI have provisionally leapt to the joint leadership of the MTN Premier Division table after leaving it late to beat surprise basement side Kabwe Warriors in a poorly attended week-four match. Derrick Mwansa glanced a header in the 87th minute to complete a come-back victory that left the 'Railmen' still winless this term and languishing at the foot of the table four weeks into the new season.

premarketsClick on chart for more premarket data. By CNNMoney staffMay 3, 2011: 6:38 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — U.S. stocks were set to open lower Tuesday, as investors shift focus back to the economy, and await auto sales and factory orders.

Dow Jones industrial average (INDU), S&P 500 (SPX) and Nasdaq (COMP) futures were all down about 0.3% ahead of the opening bell. Futures measure current index values against perceived future performance.

On Monday, U.S. stocks finished slightly lower, as investors reversed from their initial positive reaction to news that Osama bin Laden had been killed. Traders and investors said it will take more to sustain a longer rally.

Monday’s losses ended a five-day winning streak for the S&P 500 and Dow.

Economy: The Commerce Department releases data on March factory orders at 10 a.m. ET, with economists polled by Briefing.com looking for a 2.5% rise, compared with February’s 0.1% decline.

Investors will also get monthly auto sales figures from the major car makers starting around 11 a.m. ET.

Companies: Dow component Pfizer (PFE, Fortune 500) reports quarterly results before the bell. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters earnings of 59 cents per share.

Other companies reporting on Tuesday include credit card processor MasterCard (MA, Fortune 500), media company CBS (CBS, Fortune 500), and food processor Archer Daniels Midland Co (ADM, Fortune 500).

World markets: European stocks were mixed in morning trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.2%, while the DAX in Germany fell 0.6% and France’s CAC 40 fell 0.5%.

Asian markets also ended the session mixed. The Shanghai Composite rose 0.7%, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong fell 0.4%. Japan’s Nikkei was closed for holiday.

Currencies and commodities: The dollar rallied against the euro and the British pound, but slipped against the Japanese yen.

Oil for June delivery fell $1.13 cents to $112.39 a barrel.

Gold futures for June delivery fell $13.00 to $1544.10 an ounce.

Bonds: Bond prices were little changed. The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury ticked up slightly, pushing the yield down to 3.28% from 3.29% late Monday.  To top of page

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Stocks set to open lower