U.S. stock-index futures are mixed as investors awaited a report on factory orders. A Commerce Department report at 14:00 GMT will probably show that factory orders rose 1.5% in February, according to the median of economists’ projections. The Federal Open Market Committee will release minutes today of its March 13 meeting, when policy makers raised their assessment of the economy and repeated that “exceptionally low” interest rates may be needed through late 2014.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei  10,050.39 -59.48 -0.59%

Hang Seng 20,790.98 +268.72 +1.31%

FTSE  5,861.42 -13.47 -0.23%

CAC  3,436.73 -26.18 -0.76%

DAX 7,036.74 -19.91 -0.28%

Crude oil $104.83 (-0.4%).

Gold $1677.60 (-0,1%).