could be because of this..... from bloombergsU.S. Stock Futures...

could be because of this..... from bloombergs

U.S. Stock Futures Retreat on Data Showing Rise in Labor Costs

By Michael Patterson

Aug. 7 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stock-index futures declined after a government report showed labor costs climbed and worker productivity rose less than forecast.

Standard & Poor's 500 Index futures expiring in September fell 2.3 to 1465.4 at 8:34 a.m. in New York. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures lost 31 to 13,440. Nasdaq-100 Index futures decreased 4.5 to 1958.

Productivity rose at an annual rate of 1.8 percent last quarter after a revised 0.7 percent gain in the prior quarter that was less than previously forecast, the Labor Department said. A measure of labor costs increased at a 2.1 percent pace and was up 4.5 percent in the 12 months ended in June, the most in almost seven years.

Economists had forecast productivity would rise at an annual rate of 2 percent from April through June, according to a Bloomberg survey. Labor costs were forecast to gain at a 1.8 percent pace.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Patterson in New York at [email protected] .

Last Updated: August 7, 2007 08:40 EDT



Cheers

Commy