US stock index futures almost unchanged

U.S. stock-index futures were little changed after the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted its biggest weekly drop in 14 months, as investors awaited the release of Federal Reserve minutes.

Futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index expiring in September increased 0.1% to 1,653.1 at 10:43 a.m. in London. Contracts on the Dow rose 12 points, or 0.1%, to 15,050. The S&P 500 fell 2.1% last week and the Dow average lost 2.2% amid speculation the Fed will taper its bond-purchase program as the economy recovers.

“I can’t imagine we’ll see too much before Wednesday’s FOMC minutes,” Michael Hewson, a market analyst at CMC Markets Plc in London, wrote in an e-mail for Bloomberg. “Sentiment remains on the weak side after last week’s large decline.”

The Federal Open Market Committee will release minutes of its July 30-31 meeting on Aug. 21. Investors and analysts will be following for clues on when central bankers plan to reduce their $85 billion in monthly asset purchases. Officials will begin to trim buying at their Sept. 17-18 meeting, according to 65 percent of economists surveyed by Bloomberg on Aug. 9-13.

In UK stocks retreated following two weeks of losses for the FTSE 100 Index, as mining companies dropped and investors awaited Wednesday’s release of the FOMC minutes.

The FTSE 100 decreased 10.3 points, or 0.2%, to 6,489.69 at 10:48 a.m. in London. The equity benchmark declined 1.3% last week, its biggest drop since June, as speculation mounted that the Federal Reserve will reduce the pace of bond buying as the U.S. economy improves.

Glencore Xstrata Plc dropped 1.9% after Reuters reported that the mining company created three months ago may write down as much as $7 billion of assets it inherited from Xstrata. BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group also declined as copper slid. Shire Plc added 2.4% after the Sunday Times reported that the drug maker has hired Lazard Ltd. to help it defend against a possible takeover bid.