U.S. markets are pointing up today as European stocks are rising for a third day in a row. The S&P is up 0.17%, and the Dow is up 0.19%. There were 263,000 initial claims for unemployment in the week of August 27, up from 261,000 the week before. Asian stocks were mixed Thursday after mixed manufacturing data from China. The Shanghai was down 0.72% while the Nikkei was up 0.23%. In Europe, stocks are rising with bank shares leading the way. The FTSE is up 0.15%, while the DAX is up 0.47%. Energy futures are down today. The price for West Texas Intermediate crude oil is down $0.29 to $44.41 per barrel, while natural gas is down less than a penny to $2.88. Metals prices are mixed this morning. Gold is down $2.40 to $1,309.00 per ounce and platinum is up $0.60 to $1,054.10. The Dollar is up versus the Euro and the Yen. Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (CLNE), Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc. (OLLI), and Charter Communications, Inc. (CHTR) are early risers, while salesforce.com, inc (CRM), Five Below, Inc. (FIVE). and Cedar Fair, L.P. (FUN) are down. [InvestorsKeyhole, news and data sources]
