NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stocks were set to open lower Wednesday, as nagging concerns about the economy weighed on investors.
Dow Jones industrial average (INDU), S&P 500 (SPX) and Nasdaq (COMP) futures all were slightly lower. Futures measure current index values against perceived future performance.
U.S. stocks finished in positive territory Tuesday, but gains were modest as investors considered a disappointing report that showed consumer confidence sunk to a 7-month low.
With little in the way of economic news due out Wednesday, stocks may take on some negative momentum from lower European financial markets in the early going, said Tom Winmill, portfolio manager of the Midas Fund.
Investors will also be watching currency movements, Winmill said, as the House of Representatives considers a bill that could punish China for manipulating the yuan's value. On Wednesday, China's central bank pledged to increase the flexibility of its exchange rate.
World markets: European stocks fell in mid-day trading. Britain's FTSE 100 and Germany's DAX both declined around 0.2%. France's CAC 40 was flat.
Asian markets shares ended mostly higher. Japan's Nikkei added 0.7% and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong rallied 1.2%. The Shanghai Composite finished near breakeven.
Companies: The U.S. government and AIG (AIG, Fortune 500) are working out a deal that would allow the Treasury Department to gradually exit its majority stake in the insurer, according to several published reports.
AOL (AOL) added another blog to its portfolio on Tuesday, when it bought technology blog TechCrunch. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Currencies and commodities: The dollar fell against a broad range of currencies, including the euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound.
Gold futures for December delivery edged $4.71 higher to $1,312.40 an ounce, after breaking an intra-day trading record earlier in the morning.
Crude oil futures for November delivery rose 11 cents to $76.29 an ounce in global trading.
Bonds: The yield on the benchmark 10-year bond rose to 2.48% from 2.46% late Tuesday. 
| Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed | 3.80% | 3.80% | |
| 15 yr fixed | 3.09% | 3.11% | |
| 5/1 ARM | 2.65% | 2.69% | |
| 30 yr refi | 3.77% | 3.86% | |
| 15 yr refi | 3.09% | 3.21% |
Today's featured rates:
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 12,454.83 | -74.92 | -0.60% |
| Nasdaq | 2,837.53 | -1.85 | -0.07% |
| S&P 500 | 1,317.82 | -2.86 | -0.22% |
| Treasuries | 1.74 | -0.01 | -0.80% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Corp... | 7.15 | 0.01 | 0.14% |
| Sprint Nextel Corp | 2.62 | 0.09 | 3.56% |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 16.33 | -0.06 | -0.37% |
| Chesapeake Energy Co... | 15.81 | 0.23 | 1.48% |
| Ford Motor Co | 10.60 | 0.01 | 0.09% |
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