A sign is seen outside the 11 Wall St. entrance of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidA look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets by Harry RobertsonIt's been a tough little patch for U.S. stocks, with the benchmark S&P 500 index (.SPX) falling for five of the last six sessions. Things look a little brighter this morning, with U.S. stock futures up slightly and European equities (.STOXX) rising in the morning session. Italy's decision to water down the bank tax which shook markets on Tuesday has helped restore some confidence, particularly in Europe. As of Wednesday, however, the greenback was on track for its fourth straight weekly increase - hardly a bullish sign for global markets.

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Persons: Brendan McDermid, Harry Robertson It's, It's, we've, Timothy Graf, Street's Graf, Harry Robertson, David Evans Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S, Reuters, Walt Disney Company, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Europe