All signs point to a big day on the Street, with futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) staring at a triple-digit pop right out of the gate. "The latest from the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) survey shows the 13th straight week where the percent bearish is greater than the percent bullish," said Schaeffer's Senior Options Strategist Tony Venosa. "The 10-week moving average of bullish sentiment continues to be at its lowest level since the March 2009 bottom. I find this quite remarkable, with the DJIA just shy of the 13K level, and the multi-year high set this past spring."
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average have jumped 109 points above fair value.
Market Statistics
Equity option activity on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 1,171,459 call contracts traded on Thursday, compared to 908,202 put contracts. The resultant single-session put/call ratio jumped to 0.78, while the 21-day moving average stayed at 0.70.
From the Trading Floor
"European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi's comments fell short of expectations, and disappointed the markets. As a result, Thursday marked a fourth straight losing session," notes Venosa. "This morning plays host to the third major event in as many days, with the July employment report on deck."
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Currencies and Commodities
Earnings and Economic Data
The economic calendar wraps up with a bang, as traders will hone in on the Labor Department's highly anticipated nonfarm payrolls report and unemployment figures for July, as well as the ISM services index. On the earnings front, we'll hear from Procter & Gamble (PG), Agrium (AGU), Beazer Homes (BZH), and NYSE Euronext (NYX).
Mid-Caps Nearing a Triple of March 2009 Lows