First Look
Stocks are giving back early gains Thursday morning. New claims for unemployment last week were 6.648 million, doubling the prior week's record of 3.28 million. The Dow Jones is up 2%, the S&P is up 1.96%, the Nasdaq is up 1.64%.Today's Sentiment
NeutralQuote of the Day
I have a conscience about my work and try to turn out a good piece of craftsmanship.
Catherine Gaskin
Daily Action Trade
Stocks on the Move
Devon Energy Corp (DVN), Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) and Apache Corporation (APA) are moving higher this morning, while Synchrony Financial (SYF), Eli Lilly And Co (LLY) and Weyerhaeuser Co (WY) are headed lower. Activision Blizzard, Inc. (ATVI), Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC) and American Tower Corp (AMT) were upgraded by analysts this morning, while Aspen Technology, Inc. (AZPN), AvalonBay Communities Inc (AVB) and Willis Towers Watson PLC (WLTW) were downgraded.
International Markets
Stocks in Asia are mixed. The Shanghai SE Composite Index is up 1.69%, the Hang Seng is up 0.84%, the Nikkei 225 is down -1.37% the Australia ASX All Ordinaries is down -1.93% and the Mumbai Sensex is down -4.08%. In Europe stocks are mixed. The CAC 40 is up 0.84%, the FTSE 100 is up 0.72%, the Euro Stoxx 50 is up 0.5% and the DAX is down -0.35%.
Futures & Currencies
Energy futures are up today. The price for West Texas Intermediate crude oil is up 2.16 at 22.47 per barrel. Brent crude is up 2.62 at 27.36 per barrel. Natural Gas is up 0.01 at 1.6. Precious metals are up this morning. Gold is up 6.18 at 1597.69 per ounce. Platinum is up 4.87 at 725.62 while silver is up 0.38 at 14.36. The dollar is mixed compared to the major currencies today. The greenback is up against the euro, up against the Yen and down against the Pound.
Put/Call Ratio
Yesterday, 882,468 call contracts traded on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) compared to 755,713 put contracts. The single-session put/call was 0.86.
Today's Economic Calendar
| No. | What's Happening? | Period | Release Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Initial and Continuing Claims | 3/21 | 8:30 |
| 2 | Trade Balance | Feb | 8:30 |
