Dow is Heading North; Twitter, Fed Meeting in Focus

With the latest batch of big-name earnings reports rolling in, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:DJI) are comfortably higher. Among Dow components, Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) is headed north in pre-market action, after the firm reported stronger-than-expected quarterly figures. Not so fortunate: Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR), which is poised to plunge on poorly received guidance -- much to the dismay of recent options traders. Outside of the earnings confessional, Wall Street will hone in on durable goods, housing, and consumer confidence data, with one eye trained on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policy meeting, which kicks off today.

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Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) are 85 points above fair value.

Market Statistics

The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 916,671 call contracts traded on Monday, compared to 609,083 put contracts -- the lightest options volume since Aug. 29. The resultant single-session equity put/call ratio edged higher to 0.66, while the 21-day moving average remained at 0.70.

Currencies and Commodities

• The U.S. dollar index is up 0.1% at 85.60.
• After touching a 28-month low on Monday, crude oil is paring some of its losses, up 0.5% at $81.42 per barrel.
• Elsewhere, gold has shed 0.1% to $1,227.80 per ounce.

Earnings and Economic Data

Durable goods orders, the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index, and consumer confidence figures will be released today. Additionally, the FOMC will kick-off its two-day policy-setting meeting. DuPont (DD), PFE, Facebook (FB), BP (BP), Coach (COH), Electronic Arts (EA), Freeport-McMoRan (FCX), Gilead Sciences (GILD), Marriott (MAR), Panera Bread (PNRA), Sherwin-Williams (SHW), Sirius XM Holdings (SIRI), TD Ameritrade (AMTD), UBS AG (UBS), U.S. Steel (X), Whirlpool (WHR), and Wynn Resorts (WYNN) will step up to the earnings plate.

Overseas Trading

It was a mixed finish in Asia today, with Japan's Nikkei giving up 0.4%, and South Korea's Kospi shedding 0.3% on a drop in consumer confidence. On the other hand, Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 1.6%, while China's Shanghai Composite soared 2.1% -- and snapped a five-session losing streak -- on strong industrial data.

European bourses are higher at midday, as traders digest a handful of notable earnings reports out of the banking and pharmaceutical sectors. At last check, London's FTSE 100 and France's CAC 40 were both 0.5% higher, while Germany's DAX was on pace for a 1.5% gain.

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