LONDON (ShareCast) - Yesterday, US investors were cheering news from the east - the Bank of Japan's expansion of its quantitative easing programme - but today has brought less welcome news, in the form of a slow-down in manufacturing activity in China.

The preliminary HSBC China manufacturing sector purchasing managers´ index for the month of September came in at 47.8, slightly above the previous month´s reading, according to survey compiler Markit.

However, it continues to indicate a contraction in the sector, for the eleventh month in succession, and marks the longest such streak in the eight year history of the series, something which has apparently not been lost on market watchers.

US stocks are tipped to open lower, with companies particularly exposed to global industrial activity expected to show some of the meatier falls.

The latest jobless figures have done nothing to engender enthusiasm for equities. First-time jobless claims may haver decreased by 3,000 to 382,000 in the week ended September 15th, but economists were expecting a lower number, somewhere around 375,000.

Spread betting quotes suggest the S&P 500 index will open around eight points lower.

On the corporate front, shipping company Norfolk Southern may head south after it lowered its profit outlook for the third quarter. Lower shipments of coal and merchandise have hit the railway operator, and it is guiding to third quarter earnings per share of somewhere between $1.18 and $1.25, down from $1.59 in the corresponding quarter of last year.

In contrast, Apogee Enterprises upped its profits guidance. The company, which designs, engineers and manufactures window systems for commercial and security buildings, moved back into the black in the second quarter, prompting the group to forecast earnings per share for fiscal 2013 of somewhere between 56 and 64 cents, compared to its previous guidance range of 48 cents to 58 cents.

JH

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