A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Gain Ahead Of Manufacturing Data

Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade after the Dow Jones dipped 185 points in the previous session. However, Wall Street recorded gains for the month of April. Investors are awaiting earnings results from Estee Lauder Companies Inc EL, ON Semiconductor Corp ON, Enterprise Products Partners L.P. EPD, Williams Companies Inc WMB and Mosaic Co MOS.

The manufacturing PMI for April is scheduled for release at 9:45 a.m. ET, while the ISM manufacturing composite index and construction spending data will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams is set to speak at 2:10 p.m. ET.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 184 points to 33,951.00 while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures gained 18.75 points at 4,193.25. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index rose 25.75 points to 13,875.75.

The U.S. has the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the world, with total infections in the country exceeding 32,421,710 with around 577,040 deaths. India reported a total of at least 19,925,510 confirmed cases, while Brazil confirmed over 14,754,910 cases.

Oil prices traded higher as Brent crude futures rose 0.1% to trade at $66.85 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures rose 0.3% to trade at $63.79 a barrel. The total number of active U.S. oil rigs slipped by 1 to 342 rigs this week, Baker Hughes Inc reported Friday.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were higher today. The Spanish Ibex Index rose 0.2% and STOXX Europe 600 Index gained 0.2%. The French CAC 40 Index rose 0.2%, while German DAX 30 gained 0.4%. The IHS Markit Eurozone manufacturing PMI rose to 62.9 in April from March's final level of 62.5. Germany’s manufacturing PMI slipped to 66.2 in April from a record high level of 66.6 in March, while French manufacturing PMI declined to 58.9 in April from 59.3 in March. Spain’s manufacturing PMI gained to 57.7 in April, compared to 56.9 in the earlier month.

Asian markets traded mostly lower today. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 1.28%, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.04%, while India’s BSE Sensex rose 0.1%. Hong Kong’s economy grew 7.8% year-over-year in the first three months of 2021. India's trade deficit in goods increased to $15.24 billion in April from $6.76 billion in the year-ago period, while manufacturing PMI rose slightly to 55.5 in April from 55.4 in the prior month. The IHS Markit Australian manufacturing PMI increase to 59.7 in April versus a final reading of 56.8 in March.

Broker Recommendation

Keybanc maintained Eastman Chemical Company EMN with an Overweight and raised the price target from $126 to $135.

Eastman Chemical shares fell 1% to close at $115.39 on Friday.

Check out other major ratings here

Breaking News

• Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. AMPH disclosed that it has received FDA approval for Morphine Sulfate Injection.
• DavidsTea Inc DTEA reported Q4 adjusted earnings of $0.15 per share, up from $0.13 per share in the year-ago quarter. Its total sales fell 45.3% to $40.2 million, while sales from e-commerce and wholesale channels jumped by 95.9% during the quarter.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. AJG reported the acquisition of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT)-based Mutual Brokers Pty Ltd.
• Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE: BRK-A)(NYSE: BRK-B) reported close to $12 billion profit in the first quarter. The company said that it earned $11.7 billion, or $7,638 per Class A share, during the first quarter as the paper value of its investment portfolio rebounded.

Check out other breaking news here