U.S. futures edge lower as Syria fears re-emerge; Dow Jones down 0.08%

U.S. stock futures pointed to a steady to lower open on Wednesday, as concerns over a potential U.S. military strike against Syria re-emerged and amid growing expectations for the Federal Reserve to soon begin tapering its stimulus program. 

Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.08% loss, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.05% dip, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.04% gain. 

Concerns over possible U.S. military strikes against Syria weighed on sentiment after top congressional leaders, including Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Democrat Nancy Pelosi said they would back President Obama's call for military intervention. 

Meanwhile, equity markets were also jittery after upbeat U.S. manufacturing data on Tuesday added to expectations that the U.S. central bank could start to unwind its asset purchase program at its upcoming policy meeting on September 17-18. 

The Institute for Supply Management said its purchasing managers’ index rose to 55.7 in August from a reading of 55.4 in July, expanding at the fastest rate since April 2011. Analysts had expected a reading of 54.0. 

The telecom sector was expected to remain active, a day after Vodafone confirmed it was selling its stake in Verizon Wireless to Verizon Communications for USD130 billion. Verizon shares were up 0.09% in after-hour trade, after tumbling over 2% in Tuesday's session. 

Nokia was also higher, surging 2.98% in extended trade, after gaining over 30% on Tuesday, when Microsoft said it was purchasing the Finnish company's mobile phone business for USD7.2 billion. 

Microsoft was down 0.49% pre-market. 

Auto stocks were also slated to move, after Moody's Investors Service said on Wednesday that it expected Ford, General Motors, Fiat and Peugeot-Citroen to lose a combined total of EUR5 billion in the region this year. 

Elsewhere, LinkedIn reportedly filed to raise about USD1 billion in a stock sale after a fivefold surge in its shares since its initial public offering in 2011. Shares plummeted 2.07% after hours. 

Other stocks likely to be in focus included Dollar General, Ciena and SAIC, scheduled to report second-quarter earnings later in the day. 

Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were lower. The EURO STOXX 50 retreated 0.94%, France’s CAC 40 tumbled 0.95%, Germany's DAX declined 0.72%, while Britain's FTSE 100 slid 0.61%. 

During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index shed 0.31%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index climbed 0.54%. 

Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish a report on the trade balance.