Dow Jones Industrial Average Futures Bounce Back

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) are signaling a higher open following Wednesday's swoon, as traders digest sharp gains overseas and another round of blue-chip earnings. Specifically, Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS) fell short of earnings and revenue estimates, while UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE:UNH) topped expectations. On the economic front, the just-released consumer price index (CPI) slipped 0.2% last month, as anticipated, while jobless claims unexpectedly declined last week.

Continue reading for more on today's market, including:

 

• M&A buzz prompted one trader to place a bullish 6-figure bet on this tech stock.
• Breaking down another volatile session for Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR).
• Is NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) headed for higher highs? One speculator certainly thinks so.

And now, on to the numbers…

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) are more than 84 points above fair value.

5 Things You Need to Know Today

 

1. Merger news helped markets in China and Hong Kong to major gains.
2. The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 691,344 call contracts traded on Wednesday, compared to 518,053 put contracts. The resultant single-session equity put/call ratio slid to 0.75, while the 21-day moving average edged down to 0.74. 
3. Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is pointed higher ahead of the bell -- to the delight of short-term option bulls -- after the company unveiled new autopilot features for vehicles manufactured after September 2014. 
4. It will likely be another volatile day for Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc (NYSE:VRX), after the drugmaker said it's been subpoenaed by U.S. regulators over recent price hikes on a pair of heart medications. In pre-market trading, the stock is down 11.4%.
5. Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is down 5.5% ahead of the open, after the company reported lower-than-expected third-quarter earnings and subscriber growth. Nonetheless, the stock is still getting love from the brokerage bunch, with five analysts doling out price-target hikes, compared to just two cuts.

Earnings and Economic Data

 

News continues at a fast pace today, with the Empire State manufacturing index, the Philadelphia Fed index, and the holiday-delayed weekly crude inventories scheduled for release. Plus, New York Fed President William Dudley is set to speak in Washington. It should be a banner day for earnings, with Blackstone Group (BX), Citigroup (C), Mattel (MAT), Philip Morris (PM), and Schlumberger (SLB) set to report. To see what else is coming up on this week's docket, click here.