A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Up Ahead Of Jobless Claims, Consumer Sentiment Data

Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade. Data on initial jobless claims for the latest week and consumer spending for February will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. The Chicago PMI for March is schedule for release at 9:45 a.m. ET, while the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for March will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank President Patrick Harker is set to speak in New York City at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 73 points to 23,933.00, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures gained 9.25 points to 2,616.50. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index surged 42 points to 6,518.75. U.S stock markets will be closed Friday for Good Friday.

Oil prices traded lower as Brent crude futures fell 0.35 percent to trade at $69.29 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures fell 0.02 percent to trade at $64.37 a barrel. The Energy Information Administration’s weekly report on natural gas stocks in underground storage is schedule for release at 10:30 a.m. ET, while the Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the recent week will be released at 1:00 p.m. ET.

 

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were higher today, with the Spanish Ibex Index rising 0.62 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index climbing 0.33 percent and German DAX 30 index gaining 0.71 percent. The UK's FTSE index was trading higher by 0.39 percent, while French CAC 40 Index rose 0.52 percent.

In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.61 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index climbed 0.24 percent, China’s Shanghai Composite Index surged 1.22 percent and India’s BSE Sensex fell 0.62 percent.


Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Longbow Research upgraded Harley-Davidson, Inc. HOG from Underperform to Neutral.

Harley-Davidson shares rose 2.09 percent to $43.57 in pre-market trading.


Breaking news


  • Science Applications International Corp SAIC posted better-than-expected earnings for its fourth quarter.


  • PVH Corp PVH reported better-than-expected results for its fourth quarter and issued a strong forecast.


  • GameStop Corp. GME reported upbeat results for its fourth quarter on Wednesday.


  • Progress Software Corporation PRGS reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its first quarter. The company also raised FY18 earnings outlook.


Posted In: NewsEurozoneFuturesGlobalPre-Market OutlookMarketsA Peek Into The MarketsLongbow ResearchU.S. stock futures
Benzinga simplifies the market for smarter investing

Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.

Join Now: Free!

Loading...