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General Electric Company (GE) is higher amid a big real-estate deal and buyback program
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is on pace to notch a third straight daily win -- and a second consecutive weekly advance -- with futures pointed modestly higher. Helping to buoy the blue-chip barometer is General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), which is up 8% in electronic trading, after confirming a roughly $26.5 billion real-estate deal and $50 billion buyback program. Elsewhere on the corporate front, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) could garner some attention, with the tech titan taking pre-orders for its Apple Watch. Meanwhile, import and export prices, as well as the Treasury budget, will headline the day's economic agenda.
And now, on to the numbers...
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) are more than 44 points above fair value.
Market Statistics
The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 758,171 call contracts traded on Thursday, compared to 452,847 put contracts. The resultant single-session equity put/call ratio remained at 0.60, while the 21-day moving average stayed at 0.66.
Currencies and Commodities
- The U.S. dollar index is 0.4% higher at 99.57.
- Crude oil is poised to pare a portion of Thursday's gains, down 0.4% at $50.57 per barrel.
- Gold, meanwhile, continues to hover around the $1,200 mark -- up 0.9% at $1,203.70 per ounce.
Earnings and Economic Data
The Treasury budget comes out today, along with import and export prices. Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota continues his speaking tour with a stop in Bloomington, Minnesota, while Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker will address a Florida audience. There are no notable earnings on the docket. To see what's on next week's agenda, click here.
Overseas Trading
Most Asian markets settled higher today. China's Shanghai Composite led the way with its 2% pop, following a report that showed consumer inflation remained stable in March. Elsewhere, South Korea's Kospi tacked on 1.4%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 1.2%. Japan's Nikkei, meanwhile, gave back 0.2%, after a brief visit north of the highly watched 20,000 mark.
European benchmarks are enjoying a burst of buying power at midday, thanks to a rally in the tech sector and a cooling euro. At last check, the German DAX is up 1.4%, the French CAC 40 is 0.5% higher, and London's FTSE 100 is flirting with a 0.4% lead.
Unusual Put and Call Activity:
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