Wall Street set to open higher
Futures on U.S. stock indices point to higher opening today. At 5:32 a.m. ET, the blue-chip Dow futures indicated a gain of 225 points, or 0.86% to 26,347.
Meanwhile, the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 futures were up 97.5 points, or 1.28% to 7,715.00 while the S&P 500 futures rose 26.12 points, or around 0.9% to 2,932.12.
U.K. Parliament humiliates Boris Johnson
U.K. lawmakers on Tuesday handed Prime Minister Boris Johnson a startling defeat over Brexit as they voted to take control of parliamentary agenda. 21 members of his own Tory Party joined opposition MPs to take control of Parliament and force a vote on a bill that would seek to block Britain from withdrawing from the EU without a deal October 31.
After the 328 to 301 vote, Johnson threatened to table a motion for a snap general election. However, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would only vote for an election once the bill to stop no-deal Brexit deal is passed.
British pound gained more than 0.6% against the dollar early Wednesday.
Hong Kong leader withdraws extradition bill
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Wednesday announced the formal withdrawal of the controversial extradition bill that triggered weeks of demonstrations in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
“The government will formally withdraw the bill, in order to fully allay public concerns,” Lam said in a pre-recorded televised statement.
The bill, which was introduced in April and suspended in June, would have meant criminal suspects could be extradited to mainland China. Complete withdrawal of the proposal was one of the main demands of protesters in the city.
Walmart, Kroger ask shoppers not to openly carry guns in their stores
Walmart (NYSE: WMT) and Kroger (NYSE: KR) are requesting shoppers not to openly carry firearms when they visit their stores. Both retailers made the announcement on Tuesday with Walmart also saying it will no longer sell some ammunition and firearms.
The announcements come amid a wave of deadly shootings in the country, including at Walmart stores in Southaven, Mississippi and El Paso, Texas. Kroger ended the sale of firearms last year.
