Stocks: Cable merger tops the bill
Investors will have a mega media merger to digest Thursday but that looks unlikely to give the broader market a boost.Comcast will announce its intent to acquire Time Warner Cable in a $45 billion deal that would combine the two biggest cable companies in the United States, according to people with knowledge of the transaction.
Comcast has agreed to pay $158.82 per share for Time Warner Cable, a 17% premium to Wednesday's closing price. Neither stock was active pre-market but shares in a smaller rival -- Cablevision Systems -- gained 2%.
Related: Fear & Greed Index
Bad weather on the east coast could keep markets subdued, and has already forced Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen to postpone her second appearance this week before Congress, which was due Thursday. Her first day of testimony as chairman sent stocks sharply higher on Tuesday.
U.S. stock futures were down by about 0.4%. Markets ended mixed Wednesday as investors took a breather after a four day winning streak.
In other company news, Dow component Cisco Systems raised its dividend despite reporting lower revenue and earnings. But while results were a bit better than expected, guidance that revenue would continue to fall sent shares lower in after-hours trading Wednesday.
Related: CNNMoney's Tech30
European markets were weaker in morning trading, while Asian markets ended with losses, led by the Nikkei, which fell 1.8%. 
First Published: February 13, 2014: 5:02 AM ET
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