 German DAX is down 94 points, or 0.5%, but the Nikkei 225 closed up 84 points, or 0.2%. U.S. stock markets look to have a modestly positive bias as we approach this morning's opening bell, and following yesterday's session, which saw the Dow 30 stocks close up about 0.5% to post an all-time high, while the S&P 500 and the tech-laden NASDAQ index both advanced marginally.