Wall Street stock futures pointed to a weaker start Wednesday, as a warning from Research in Motion and expectations of more gloomy economic news weighed on investor sentiment.

Late Tuesday, Research in Motion lowered its outlook for the latest quarter. It said it expects to show revenue of $2.75 billion to $2.78 billion when it closes its books on the three-month period that ended Nov. 29. That is less than its previous forecast of $2.95 billion to $3.10 billion, although still about 65% ahead of the same quarter a year ago, it said.

There are no major economic releases from Statistics Canada today.

The Canadian dollar opened at US79.81¢, off 0.13 cent from yesterday and down a penny so far this week amid general economic worries and the political turmoil in Ottawa.

On today’s U.S. economic calendar, the Institute of Supply Management will release it’s index of non-manufacturing businesses — a barometer of the troubled services sector.

Also on deck are the U.S. Federal Reserve’s Beige Book of anecdotal evidence on the nation’s economy, ADP’s estimate for monthly employment, and weekly energy inventories data.

In M&A news, Electricite de France took on Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, offering US$4.5 billion for assets of Constellation Energy Group.

In commodities news, crude-oil futures edged up 20¢ to US$47.16 a barrel.

Overseas, oil majors and technology stocks led European indexes lower.

The German DAX dropped 2.3% to 4,430.20, the French CAC 40 fell 1.8% to 3095.35 and the U.K. FTSE lost 0.6% to 4,100.96.

Consumer confidence in Britain hit a new low in November, a survey by the Nationwide Building Society showed Wednesday, with almost half of respondents expecting the economy to worsen over the next six months.

Asian markets closed mostly higher. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average rose 1.8% to 8,004.10. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng closed up 1.4% at 13,588.66.

On Tuesday, the Toronto Stock Exchange’s benchmark index dipped further into the red.

The S&P/TSX composite index fell 78.4 points, or 0.93%, to close at 8,327.81.

Financial companies led the fall, dropping 4.3% as earnings season continued to put the spotlight on the challenges facing Canadian banks.

The S&P/TSX Venture index dipped 8 points, or 1.08% to close at 731.1.

The main indexes in New York fluctuated sharply throughout the day, and finished with considerable gains on the heels of Monday’s nosedive.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 270 points, or 3.3%, to end at 8,419.09.

The Nasdaq composite index finished the day at 1,449.8, up 51.73 points, or 3.7%. The S&P 500 index rallied 32.6 points, or 4%, to close at 848.8.

IE