U.S. stock index futures were mixed Monday following six weeks of gains, but hopes of further bond buying by the ECB helped limit losses.
The Dow and S&P 500 both logged their sixth-straight week of gains last week, closing a touch below below four-year highs.
Investor sentiment was initially buoyed by a report in a German magazine that the ECB would set a threshold for yields on bonds of troubled euro zone countries and would buy the bonds if their spreads over safe-haven German bunds exceeded a certain level.
Last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated her support for ECB President Mario Draghi's strategy to help the euro zone. Merkel is scheduled to meet with French President Francois Hollande on Thursday.
Lowe's tumbled after the home-improvement chain posted quarterly results that missed expectations and slashed its earnings outlook for the fiscal year.
On the M&A front, Coventry Health Care surged after the company insurer Aetna has signed a deal to acquire the company for $5.6 billion in cash and stock.
