U.S. Futures Point Lower, Asia and Europe Open Higher

By Dow Jones Newswires StaffU.S. stock futures pointed to a slightly weaker open Tuesday after Wall Street largely shrugged off Moody's Ratings downgrading the U.S.Treasury yields were a touch lower while the dollar continued to ease too. Stock markets in Asia ended higher and Europe also opened with gains.In Europe, the Stoxx Europe 600 climbed 0.2% at the open, France's CAC 40 gained 0.1% and Germany's DAX held steady. The U.K. blue-chip FTSE 100 added 0.2%.Treasury yields fell early in Europe, having traded sideways in Asia, as investors started to buy on the weakness prompted by Moody's downgrade. The two-year Treasury yield was last down 2 basis points to 3.963%, the 10-year Treasury yield eased 2.4 basis points to 4.450% and the 30-year yield fell 3.3 basis points to 4.908%, according to LSEG data. With the yield fall being driven by the long end, the Treasury curve is flattening marginally.Still, the dollar edged lower as investors remained cautious, particularly around President Trump's tax bill adding to concerns about U.S. debt as it is estimated to add trillions of dollars to the federal deficit. The DXY dollar index was last down 0.2% to 100.232 against a basket of major currencies.Asian shares ended flat to higher. China's benchmark lending rates were lowered by 10 basis points after the central bank cut its policy rate to stimulate domestic demand. Also boosting sentiment, Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology's shares soared on their Hong Kong debut, marking the world's largest equity offering so far this year. China's benchmark Shanghai Composite climbed 0.4% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.5%. Japan's Nikkei 225 index gained 0.1%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Benchmark Index added 0.6% after Australia's central bank cut interest rates for a second time.Oil prices slipped amid potential risks stemming from Ukraine peace talks and U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations. Brent crude and WTI were both down 0.5% to $65.19 and $61.80 a barrel, respectively. Gold futures edged lower, slipping 0.5% to $3,224.80 a troy ounce.Write to Barcelona Editors at [email protected]