Europe and U.S. Stock index futures fell

Europe and U.S. Stock index futures fell as investors awaited economic reports that may provide further evidence of the health of the global economy. Asian stocks retreated.

BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group fell in Sydney. Hochtief AG may be active after Actividades de Construccion y Servicios SA won approval from Germany's financial regulator for its 2.7 billion euros ($ 3.5 billion) bid for German construction company. ThyssenKrupp AG may move after saying it returned to profit in the fiscal year to September.

Futures on the Euro Stoxx 50 fell 0.4 percent to 2,665 at 7:40 am in London. The FTSE 100 index futures fell 0.1 percent. The benchmark Stoxx Europe 600 Index is directed to a decrease of 1.4 percent this month. The Stoxx 600 sank an eight-week low yesterday in the rescue of Ireland failed to reassure investors that the region will contain the crisis of sovereign debt. 500 of Standard & Poor's Index lost 0.3 percent today, while the MSCI Asia Pacific Index declined 0.7 percent.

"No escape from the possibility of purchase of the euro area to continue the dissemination and nervousness associated with this have the potential to further erode confidence even before you look at the current state of affairs in Korea," Ben Potter research analyst based in Melbourne at IG Markets Ltd., said.

The euro traded near its lowest level in two months and the risk of Asia-Pacific bonds rose as concern mounted that the Irish banking crisis will spread to Spain and Portugal, while the recovery in Asia showed signs of lose momentum. Data scheduled for release today may show unemployment in Europe was held near 12-year high in October, following reports that showed Japan's jobless rate unexpectedly rose in industrial production in the third largest economy in the world fell for the fifth month.

Fund for North Korea

Confirmed that North Korea has a uranium enrichment facility with thousands of centrifuges, further fueling security concerns after the deadly attack on an island in South Korea on 23 November.

the confidence of UK consumers unexpectedly fell to a four-month in November as looming cuts in public spending dented prospects for the British in 2011, a report by GfK NOP Ltd showed.

In the U.S., a report today may show housing prices in 20 cities rose in September at the slowest pace in eight months, which shows the latest slump in home sales is destabilizing.

The S & P / Case-Shiller index of home prices rose 1 percent from September 2009, the smallest year-over-year gain since February, when the market began to recover after a fall of three years according to the median forecast of 28 economists surveyed by us. The figures are due at 9 am New York. Other reports may show consumer confidence increased and expanded businesses.

BHP Billiton, Hochtief

BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining company, fell 1.2 percent to $ 42.74. Rio Tinto, the third-largest, lost 1.9 percent to $ 82.21.

Hochtief be moved. "During its investigation, requested BaFin significant improvements to the ACS," BaFin said in a statement. Offer document filed yesterday revised ACS "provided all necessary improvements. Therefore BaFin has approved the proposal," the regulator said.

ACS, based in Madrid on September 16 announced an offer to purchase all shares Hochtief, proposing eight of its own shares for every five in the German builder.

ThyssenKrupp, Postbank

ThyssenKrupp may be active. Germany's largest steelmaker reported a net profit of 824 million euros in the fiscal year through September compared with a net loss of 1.86 billion euros a year earlier. That topped the average estimate of 752.4 million euros from 11 analysts surveyed .

Deutsche Postbank AG may move. The German lender being acquired by Deutsche Bank AG is nearing a deal to sell its operations in India for about 11 billion rupees (239.1 million U.S. dollars), according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

GlaxoSmithKline Plc, the biggest drugmaker in the UK, said more research and production investments in more than 500 million pounds ($ 777,700,000) in their home country if the government reduces the tax rate profits generated by intellectual property owned UK.

Northumbrian Water Group Plc may move as the company supplying water to about 4.4 million customers in the UK reported a net profit of 87.8 million pounds in the six months to the end of September, compared with 62.9 million pounds a year earlier.