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NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks were poised to open lower Wednesday, as investors trade cautiously ahead of big events at home and abroad later this week.
U.S. stock futures slid into the red as investors wait to take cues from jobs numbers due out Friday and to see whether the European Central Bank acts to protect the euro when it meets Thursday morning.
Following more disappointing manufacturing numbers Tuesday, investors are looking at all economic numbers with an eye to how they could influence the Federal Reserve's decision to announce more quantitative easing at its Sept. 12-13 policy meeting.
Related: Election won't stop the Fed
U.S. stocks closed in mixed territory Tuesday following reports of slumping manufacturing and construction spending.
World Markets: European stocks were mixed in afternoon trading. Britain's FTSE 100 slid 0.2%, while France's CAC 40 gained 0.6% and the DAX in Germany ticked up 0.1%.
Asian markets closed lower Wednesday. The Shanghai Composite shed 0.3%, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong dropped 1.5%, and Japan's Nikkei lost 1.1%.
Companies: Dollar General (DG, Fortune 500) will report its second-quarter financial results before the opening bell. The discount retailer is expected to report earnings of 64 cents a share, on $4 billion in revenue.
Shares of FedEx (FDX, Fortune 500) were lower in premarket trading, as the company announced it would cut its outlook for the quarter, citing weakness in the global economy. United Parcel Service Inc (UPS, Fortune 500) was also lower on the news.
In new court papers, the U.S. Justice Department accused British Petroleum (BP) of being "grossly negligent" in its handling of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in 2010, which could significantly raise the company's legal liability. Shares of the oil company were down nearly 4% in premarket trading.
After hitting another all-time low on Tuesday, Facebook (FB) edged higher in premarket trading after CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he will not sell his shares for a year.
Related: Facebook hits new low
Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) shares were higher in premarket trading Wednesday, after the company announced an event for Sept. 12 at which it is widely expected to introduce a new iPhone.
Economy: Traders will watch for the government's revised reading on second-quarter productivity, which comes out at 8:30 a.m. ET. The report is expected to show that business-sector output was slightly stronger than previous estimates.
Currencies and commodities: The dollar rose against the euro, but lost ground versus the British pound and the Japanese yen.
Oil for October delivery fell 43 cents to $94.87 a barrel.
Gold futures for December delivery lost $3.40 to $1,694.80 an ounce.
Bonds: The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury fell, pushing the yield up to 1.58% from 1.56% late Tuesday.
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