Stocks Lower Tuesday as Aid Negotiations Continue

First Look

U.S. stocks are pointed toward a lower open Tuesday morning. Weak earnings from some big companies in Europe helped set a tone overnight. Here in the U.S., Congress continues to debate an aid package with a deadline looming as the Senate is expected to leave Washington Friday for the rest of August. The Dow Jones is down -0.33%, the Nasdaq is down -0.43%, the S&P is down -0.45%.

Today's Sentiment

Quote of the Day

Some of the greatest battles will be fought within the silent chambers of your own soul.
Ezra Taft Benson

Stocks on the Move

Mosaic Co (MOS), Vornado Realty Trust (VNO) and Emerson Electric Co. (EMR) are moving higher this morning, while WEC Energy Group Inc (WEC), American International Group Inc (AIG) and Twitter Inc (TWTR) are headed lower. Altice USA Inc (ATUS), BMC Stock Holdings Inc (BMCH) and Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co (RS) were upgraded by analysts this morning, while Catchmark Timber Trust Inc (CTT), TAKE-TWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE, INC Common Stock (TTWO) and Sonoco Products Co (SON) were downgraded.

International Markets

Stocks in Asia are up. The Mumbai Sensex is up 2.03%, the Hang Seng is up 2%, the Australia ASX All Ordinaries is up 1.86% the Nikkei 225 is up 1.7% and the Shanghai SE Composite Index is up 0.11%. Stocks in Europe are down. The DAX is down -0.68%, the Euro Stoxx 50 is down -0.35%, the CAC 40 is down -0.23% and the FTSE 100 is down -0.04%.

Futures & Currencies

Energy futures are mixed today. The price for West Texas Intermediate crude oil is down -0.68 at 40.33 per barrel. Brent crude is down -0.73 at 43.42 per barrel. Natural Gas is up 0.05 at 2.15. Precious metals are down this morning. Gold is down -4.09 at 1972.89 per ounce. Platinum is down -4.12 at 916.9 while silver is down -0.03 at 24.39. The dollar is up compared to the major currencies today. The greenback is up against the euro, up against the Yen and up against the Pound.

Put/Call Ratio

Yesterday, 1,806,413 call contracts traded on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) compared to 791,219 put contracts. The single-session put/call ratio was 0.44.

Today's Economic Calendar

Earnings Expected Today