Stock futures signal weaker Wall Street open

Stock index futures pointed to a weaker open for equities on Wall Street on Wednesday after strong gains in the previous session, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 down 0.3 to 0.9 percent.

The Labor Department releases the September Consumer Price Index at 1230 GMT. Economists expect a 0.3 percent rise, compared with a 0.4 percent increase in August.

Major companies announcing results include Morgan Stanley <MS.N>, American Express <AXP.N>, United Technologies <UTX.N>, Abbott Laboratories <ABT.N> and eBay <EBAY.O>.

The Mortgage Bankers Association releases its Mortgage Market Index for the week ended October 14 at 1100 GMT. It read 744.3 in the previous week and the refinancing index was 4,072.3.

A growing number of News Corp <NWSA.O> shareholders with voting rights are considering sending a strong message of discontent to Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch by voting against several long-standing board members including his sons James and Lachlan.

The Commerce Department releases housing starts and permits for September at 1230 GMT. Economists forecast a 590,000 annualized rate for housing starts in September versus 571,000 in August, and a total of 610,000 permits in September compared with 625,000 in the prior month.

At 1230 GMT, the Labor Department issues Real Earnings for September. Economists expect a 0.2 percent rise versus a 0.8 percent fall in August. The Federal Reserve releases its latest Beige Book at 1600 GMT.

Apple Inc <AAPL.O> stunned Wall Street by reporting results that missed expectations for the first time in years, blaming rumors about the new iPhone for hurting demand in the September quarter.

Shares of Apple fell 7 percent in extended trading on Tuesday, wiping some $27 billion off the value of the world's largest technology company. Apple shares listed in Frankfurt <AAPL.F> were down 5.6 percent.

Samsung Electronics <005930.KS> unveiled the first smartphone running on Google's <GOOG.O> latest version of the Android operating system, which combines software used in tablets and smartphones, as they step up competition against Apple.

Nomura Holdings <8604.T> is set to buy a China unit of GE Capital -- General Electric Co's <GE.N> finance arm -- in a key step toward building a solid footing in the fast-growing financial markets of the mainland, a source with knowledge of the matter said.

U.S. stocks surged late in trading on Tuesday as buyers latched onto another report of agreements to strengthen the euro zone's rescue fund.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> ended up 180.05 points, or 1.58 percent, at 11,577.05. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 24.52 points, or 2.04 percent, at 1,225.38. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 42.51 points, or 1.63 percent, at 2,657.43.

Two senior European Union officials dismissed a report in Britain's Guardian that a deal had been reached by France and Germany to scale up the euro zone's rescue fund by around 5 times to more than 2 trillion euros.

Greek unions began a 48-hour general strike, the biggest protest in years, as parliament prepared to vote on sweeping new austerity measures designed to stave off a default that could trigger a crisis in the wider euro zone.

The FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top European shares rose 0.3 percent in morning trade on Wednesday, while Japan's Nikkei average <.N225> gained 0.4 percent.

Yahoo Inc <YHOO.O> lived up to lackluster third-quarter expectations, but the struggling Internet portal was tight-lipped about efforts to find a new Chief Executive or explore a sale. Its shares were up 3.4 percent.

(Reporting by Atul Prakash; Editing by Hans-Juergen Peters)