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New York City has its first confirmed case of Ebola
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:DJI) appears ready to drop out of the gate, following the first confirmed Ebola case in New York City -- though Mayor Bill de Blasio tried to allay fears by saying the patient had contact with "very few" people while symptomatic. Elsewhere, earnings season continues to run hot today, with Procter & Gamble Co (NYSE:PG) and Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) among the major firms releasing quarterly numbers. On the economic calendar, new home sales data is due out at 10 a.m. ET.
And now, on to the numbers...
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) are nearly 32 points below fair value.
Market Statistics
The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 1.2 million call contracts traded on Thursday, compared to 744,641 put contracts. The resultant single-session equity put/call ratio fell to 0.61, while the 21-day moving average remained at 0.70.
Currencies and Commodities
- The U.S. dollar index is off fractionally at 85.82.
- Crude oil has lost 0.9% at $81.38 per barrel.
- Elsewhere, gold is up 0.3% at $1,232.60 per ounce.
Earnings and Economic Data
New home sales will be released today. Stepping up to the earnings plate will be PG, F, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), Colgate-Palmolive (CL), Lear (LEA), and United Parcel Service (UPS).
Overseas Trading
Stocks in Asia ended the week mixed, as traders weighed the rally in U.S. markets against rising Ebola fears and a surprise drop in Chinese new home prices. Japan's Nikkei was the day's biggest gainer, tacking on 1% despite a strong yen, thanks to strong performances from companies related to managing the aforementioned virus. China's Shanghai Composite also finished slightly higher. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hang Seng and South Korea's Kospi gave back 0.1% and 0.3%, respectively.
Ebola fears are also weighing on European markets. Around midday, London's FTSE 100 is down 0.3%, as the U.K.'s preliminary third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) rose in line with estimates. France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX are even further south of breakeven, off a respective 0.5% and 0.7%.
Unusual Put and Call Activity:
Due to issues with our data provider, the Unusual Put and Call charts are unavailable today. We apologize for any inconvenience.