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Sept 3 (Reuters) - Some U.S. stocks to watch on Tuesday:
FUTURES SURGE AS POTENTIAL SYRIA ACTION DELAYED
U.S. stock index futures pointed to a sharply higher open onTuesday after U.S. President Barack Obama opted to seekcongressional authorization for military action against Syria, amove that was likely to delay any strike for at least severaldays. S&P 500 futures rose 14.7 points and were abovefair value, Dow Jones industrial average futures added105 points and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 21 points.
** CYTOKINETICS INC, $7.75, down 26 pct premarket
** AMGEN INC, Friday close $108.94
An experimental heart failure drug from Amgen andCytokinetics missed its goal of improving shortness of breath ina mid-stage clinical trial, leaving its future uncertain.
** MICROSOFT CORP, $32.35, down 3 pct premarket
** NOKIA CORP, $5.53, up 42 pct premarket
Two years after hitching its fate to Microsoft's Windows Phone software, Nokia collapsed into the arms of theU.S. software giant on Tuesday, agreeing to sell its mainhandset business for 5.44 billion euros ($7.2 billion).
** VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS, $45.00, down 5 pctpremarket
** VODAFONE GROUP, $31.95, down 1 pct premarket
Verizon Communications agreed on Monday to pay $130 billionto buy Vodafone Group out of its U.S. wireless business,signing history's third largest corporate deal announcement tobring an end to an often tense 14-year marriage.
** CONSTELLATION BRANDS INC, Friday close $54.25, up3 pct premarket
Goldman Sachs upgraded the world's largest wine company'sstock to "buy" from "neutral," according to Theflyonthewall.com.
** SUNTECH POWER HOLDINGS CO LTD, $0.81, down 16.5pct premarket
The Chinese solar panel maker, whose main manufacturing unitis in insolvency proceedings, said it had a reached a deal withcreditors to convert debt into equity and also said a strategicinvestor would buy new shares, providing funds.
The company said in the statement that it expected to entera restructuring agreement "in the next week or so."
** BANK OF AMERICA CORP, Friday close $14.12
Bank of America launched on Tuesday an up to $1.5 billionshare offering in China Construction Bank Corp (CCB), exiting an eight-year investment in China'ssecond-biggest lender in a bid to shore up its own balancesheet.
** PEABODY ENERGY CORP, $17.55, up 2.3 pct premarket
** ARCH COAL INC, $4.61, up 2.9 pct premarket
** JAMES RIVER COAL CO, $2.23, up 5.2 pct premarket
** WALTER ENERGY INC, $13.30, up 3 pct premarket
** ALPHA NATURAL RESOURCES INC, $6.26, up 3 pctpremarket
Front-month gas futures on the New York MercantileExchange were up 2 percent at $3.653 per million British thermalunits early Monday morning, lifting coal stocks. Coal competeswith natural gas for use in power production, and higher gasprices are seen as a positive because they may encouragecoal-to-natural gas switching at utilities.
** JARDEN CORP, Friday close $42.95
The U.S. consumer products company has agreed to buy scentedcandle maker Yankee Candle Company Inc for $1.75billion, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing peoplefamiliar with the matter.
** J C PENNEY CO INC $12.79, up 3 pct premarket
Hayman Capital reported a 5.2 percent stake in the U.S.retailer.
** FREEPORT-MCMORAN COPPER & GOLD INC, $30.88, up2.2 pct premarket
The Indonesian unit of the miner has lifted its forcemajeure at the world's second-biggest copper mine, almost fourmonths after a deadly accident at the remote Papua complex, thelocal CEO said on Tuesday.
** CLIFFS NATURAL RESOURCES INC, $21.53, up 4 pctpremarket
The miner's shares inched up after iron ore rose for thefirst session in four as Chinese steelmakers ramped upproduction amid a strong consumption season, boosting appetitefor the raw material.
** HALOZYME THERAPEUTICS INC, $9.24, up 8 pctpremarket
The European Commission approved a new formulation ofRoche's breast cancer drug Herceptin, which allows themedicine to be administered more quickly. The new injectableversion, which uses Halozyme's enzyme technology, cuts downtreatment time to just two to five minutes.
** DRYSHIPS INC, Friday close $2.35, up 1 pctpremarket
** OCEAN RIG UDW INC, Friday close $17.44
The contract drilling unit of Dryships said it had signed anagreement to amend certain provisions in its $1.35 billion debtfacility and that it had signed at $600 million-contract withSamsung Heavy Industries to build an ultra deepwater drillship.
** LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL SA, $7.79, up 7 pctpremarket
The computer accessories maker launched its first productsfor Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's Galaxy Tab 3, whichincludes an ultra thin built-in keyboard and protective casesmade from water-repellant materials that provide front and backprotection. The Ultrathin Keyboard Folio and Logitech Folio areexpected to be available in the U.S., Europe and some Asiancountries from October 2013.
** ERICSSON, $12.37, up 5 pct premarket
The global number one mobile network infrastructure firmsaid on Monday it would build three new data centres over thenext five years at a cost of around 7 billion Swedish crowns($1.05 billion).
(Compiled by Varun Aggarwal; Editing by Sreejiraj Eluvangal)