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*
Minutes from the Fed's March meeting released on Wednesday
pointed to worries about the central bank's limited ability to
tackle a global economic slowdown, reducing the odds of a rate
increase before June.
* The minutes did little to quell concerns about the uncertainty
surrounding the plan to raise rates this year.
* Traders are pricing in only one hike this year, with a near
60-percent chance of it coming in December, according to CME
Group's FedWatch Program.
* Fed Chair Janet Yellen, who has urged caution on raising
rates, is slated to speak on monetary policy along with former
central bank chairmen in New York later in the day.
* Adding to the somber mood were comments by European Central
Bank officials, supporting a further easing of monetary policy,
amid growing concerns about an uncertain outlook for the global
economy.
* The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell
to 270,000 last week from 276,000 the previous week, data due at
8:30 a.m. ET is expected to show.
* Wall Street closed higher on Wednesday, boosted by gains in
healthcare and energy shares.
* Crude held steady at around $40 a barrel as an increase in
exports from Iraq offset gains from an unexpected fall in U.S.
stockpiles. [O/R]
* Valeant Pharmaceuticals <VRX.N> shares were up 6.6 percent at
$36.44 premarket after the Wall Street Journal reported that the
Canadian drug maker had secured amendments to its debt from
lenders.
* Harley-Davidson <HOG.N> fell 5 percent to $44.01 after William
Blair cut its rating on the stock to "market perform".
* Yahoo <YHOO.O> slipped 1.7 percent to $36.03 after Re/code
reported that the Internet company expects sharp decline in
revenue and profit for 2016.
Futures snapshot at 7:00 a.m. ET:
* Dow e-minis <1YMc1> were down 75 points, or 0.43 percent, with
22,325 contracts changing hands.
* S&P 500 e-minis <ESc1> were down 10 points, or 0.49 percent,
with 191,593 contracts traded.
* Nasdaq 100 e-minis <NQc1> were down 19.5 points, or 0.43
percent, on volume of 20,547 contracts.
(Reporting by Abhiram Nandakumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil
D'Silva)
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