A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Edge Higher; Yellen Speech In Focus

Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded slightly higher in early pre-market trade. Data on initial jobless claims for the latest week is schedule for release at 8:30 a.m. ET, while data on new home sales for February will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen is set to speak in Washington at 8:45 a.m. ET, while Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari is set to speak in Washington at 12:30 p.m. ET. Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Robert Kaplan will speak in Chicago at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 14 points to 20,610.00, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures rose 4.50 points to 2,347.50. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index gained 7 points to 5,372.75.

Oil prices traded higher as Brent crude futures gained 0.63 percent to trade at $50.96 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures rose 0.62 percent to trade at $48.34 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 higher today, with the Spanish Ibex Index rising 0.58 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index climbing 0.32 percent and German DAX 30 index gaining 0.45 percent. The UK's FTSE index was trading higher by 0.02 percent, while French CAC 40 Index climbed 0.27 percent.

In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.23 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 0.03 percent, China’s Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.10 percent and India’s BSE Sensex rose 0.56 percent.


Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Goldman Sachs upgraded FireEye Inc FEYE from Sell to Buy.

FireEye shares rose 6.44 percent to $12.23 in pre-market trading.


Breaking news


  • Accenture Plc ACN reported upbeat earnings for its second quarter.


  • Five Below Inc FIVE reported better-than-expected earnings for its fourth quarter on Wednesday.


  • PVH Corp PVH posted upbeat earnings for its fourth quarter and issued a strong earnings forecast.


  • Conagra Brands Inc CAG reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its third quarter.


Date
ticker
name
Actual EPS
EPS Surprise
Actual Rev
Rev Surprise
Posted In: EarningsNewsEurozoneFuturesGlobalPre-Market OutlookMarketsA Peek Into The MarketsGoldman SachsU.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...