Economically significant announcements will take center stage this Thursday. All eyes will be on the Weekly Jobless Claims data, Durable Goods Orders, and Fourth Quarter GDP figures. Furthermore, the earnings reports released today are also expected to generate a lot of attention. Moreover, investors are vigilantly tracking the tensions brewing in the Middle East and the subsequent impact it could have on future oil prices.
Shares in Asia ended the day mostly higher, whereas, in stark contrast, shares in Europe are experiencing a trend towards decline. Early signs indicate that Wall Street might kick off the day with a slight advantage. At 7.35 am ET, the Dow futures were climbing by 4.00 points, while the S&P 500 futures increased by 3.00 points, and the Nasdaq 100 futures advanced by 27.75 points.
Wednesday's session witnessed mixed results for U.S. major averages. The Nasdaq grew by 55.98 points or 0.4% to 15,481.92, the S&P 500 slightly nudged upwards by 3.95 points or 0.1% to 4,868.55. On the other hand, the Dow slipped by 99.06 points or 0.3% to 37,806.39.
Economically, the Durable Goods Orders data for December is set for public release at 8.30 am ET. The general expectation is an increase of 1.0%, compared to the previous month's 5.4%. The Fourth Quarter GDP figures, scheduled to be announced at the same time, are projected to show a rise of 2.0%, despite previously reaching 4.9%.
Scheduled for release at the same time are the International Trade in Goods (Advance) numbers for December. The general forecast hints at a deficit of $88.5 billion, marginally below the revised figure of $89.3 billion.
Jobless Claims for the week, out at 8.30 am ET, are estimated at $200K, slightly up from the previous week’s number of $187K. Also expected at the same time is the Chicago Fed National Activity Index for December. This index showed a small increment of $0.03 in the previous month.
The Advance Retail Inventories for December will be revealed at 8.30 am ET. The last reading of this parameter showed a decline of 0.1%.
At 8.30 am ET, the Wholesale Inventories (Advance) for December are also due; the consensus is for a 0.2% drop, which matches the figure recorded in November.
Asian markets ended the day quite positively. China's Shanghai Composite Index surged by 3.03% to close trade at 2,906.11, while the Shenzhen Component Index saw an increment of 2%, closing at 8,856.22.
Japan's benchmark, the Nikkei 225, slightly improved by 10 points or 0.03%, ending the day’s trading at 36,236.47.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index also experienced growth, adding 312 points or 1.96% from its previous close, ending at 16,211.96.
Australia's S&P/ASX200 Index concluded trading at 7,555.40, having climbed by 36 points or 0.48%. Meanwhile, a different story unfolded in Europe, with shares mostly experiencing a downturn. France's CAC 40 declined by 38.16 points or 0.51%, Germany's DAX slid by 87.38 points or 0.52%, England's FTSE 100 was down by 65.83 points or 0.34%, while the Swiss Market Index dropped by 39.73 points or 0.35%.
The Euro Stoxx 50, which represents the major blue-chip companies in the Eurozone, saw a decrease of 0.39%.
