A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Rise Ahead Of Jobless Claims

Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade. Data on initial jobless claims for the latest week will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 38 points to 21,201.00, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures rose 4.25 points to 2,436.25. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index gained 15.25 points to 5,895.00.

Oil prices traded higher as Brent crude futures rose 0.23 percent to trade at $48.17 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures rose 0.22 percent to trade at $45.82 a barrel. The Energy Information Administration’s weekly report on natural gas stocks is schedule for release at 10:30 a.m. ET.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were mostly higher today, with the Spanish Ibex Index rising 0.87 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index rising 0.29 percent and German DAX 30 index gaining 0.49 percent. The UK's FTSE index was trading lower by 0.12 percent, while French CAC 40 Index climbed 0.41 percent.

In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.02 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.09 percent, China’s Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.23 percent and India’s BSE Sensex fell 0.19 percent.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Deutsche Bank downgraded Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. HA from Buy to Hold.

Hawaiian shares rose 12.30 percent to close at $59.35 on Wednesday.

Breaking news

• SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. SCLN agreed to be acquired by GL Capital for $11.18 per share in cash.



• Tailored Brands Inc TLRD posted better-than-expected profit for its first quarter, but sales missed expectations.



• Alibaba Group Holding Ltd BABA issued a strong revenue forecast for FY18. The company’s CFO Maggie Wu drew expects 45 percent to 49 percent revenue growth in FY2018.



• Verint Systems Inc. VRNT reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its first quarter.