US data in the spotlight this afternoon with Nasdaq 100 futures in the red

The US stock market futures are still in the red this afternoon, as stateside participants rejoin the action. The Nasdaq 100 closed 20 points lower last night, at 15,961 as it set second daily close below 16k. After the index reopens we do have some relatively important US data releases, at 3pm GMT. There is the latest US consumer confidence index and Richmond Fed manufacturing index. US consumers are expected to remain confident, but as to whether the reading for November will surpass that seen in October (143.1) remains to be seen. The Richmond Fed index is expected to come in lower, with a reading of 1, compared to a prior reading of 3. Both these numbers can have an impact on stocks in general and the Nasdaq in particular. The index future is just pricing the reopening at around 15,930