Before the bell 2-9-07: AAPL, DIS, CAT, NOK, MSFT ...

After starting the morning on a positive note, futures have changed direction and are now indicating to a flat to negative open for stocks.

Main market news here.

Not only is Steve Jobs, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO already under a SEC probe for the company's stock-options practices, but today The Wall Street Journal also reports that federal prosecutors are looking at another matter involving Jobs at a different company -- a large stock-options grant with an especially well-timed date to a key filmmaker at Pixar Animation Studios in 2001 when Jobs was Pixar CEO. Pixar was since bought by the Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS). Jobs sits on Disney's board.

The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Matrix Research.

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) was initiated with a Neutral by Goldman Sachs. Goldman initiated rival Deere & Co. (NYSE:DE) with a Buy and a $133 target price.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS) may raise $18-$19 billion for its newest private-equity fund for leveraged buyouts, almost double what it initially sought, according to different sources.

Vodafone, British mobile phone company, was busy this week signing deals with Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) to offer its customers YouTube on their phones, with News Corp. (NYSE:NWS) to access MySpace and with eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) to offer access to online auctions on their mobile phones.

Nokia Corp. (NYSE:NOK) said sales in its China region -- including China, Hong Kong and Taiwan -- grew 39% in 2006 from a year earlier to more than €5.3 billion ($6.91 billion)

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) -- according to the Wall Street Journal, research firm Current Analysis Inc. said that unit sales of PCs at retailers in the week ended Feb. 3 jumped 67% compared with a year earlier as consumers went to buy Vista equipped PCs.

After reporting yesterday that General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE) might buy a combined 50% stake in Sanyo Electric Credit Co. Ltd. from Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) and Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd., Sanyo Electric Co. actually denied such reports.