Dow Cautiously Higher; Jobs Report, Yellen in Focus

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:DJI) are cautiously higher this morning, as traders await the government's highly anticipated October jobs report. In addition, Wall Street is awaiting a speech from a slew of central bankers, including Fed Chair Janet Yellen, due to speak in Paris later this morning. Among equities in focus, Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) is pointed lower after reporting earnings, while Sears Holdings Corp (NASDAQ:SHLD) is set to soar on hopes that it may form a real estate investment trust to raise cash.

• How to account for Whole Foods Market, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:WFM) epic day.
• Option bulls likely cheered as Kate Spade & Co (NYSE:KATE) soared on earnings, bucking the trend among its sector peers.
• Short-term skeptics wagered on this real estate name, in the hopes of additional post-earnings downside.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) are 11.5 points above fair value.

Market Statistics

The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 1.03 million call contracts traded on Thursday, compared to 705,352 put contracts. The resultant single-session equity put/call ratio jumped to 0.69, while the 21-day moving average stayed at 0.68.

Currencies and Commodities

• The U.S. dollar index is fractionally higher at 88.05.
• Crude oil is on the mend, up 1.1% at $78.75 per barrel.
• Gold is on pace to snap its seven-session losing streak, up 0.4% at $1,147.30 per ounce.

Earnings and Economic Data

Today's docket will feature the Labor Department's nonfarm payrolls report and unemployment figures. Cooper Tire & Rubber (CTB) and Humana (HUM) will report earnings to close out the week.

Overseas Trading

Stocks in Asia finished mixed, despite stimulus-related optimism from the European Central Bank (ECB) and China's central bank, the latter of which confirmed it injected nearly $126 billion into the financial market. Nevertheless, China's Shanghai Composite gave up 0.3%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 0.4%. Japan's Nikkei tacked on 0.5%, thanks to a cooling yen, while South Korea's Kospi added 0.2%.

European bourses are also mixed at midday, amid reports that Russian tanks have entered Ukraine territory. While London's FTSE 100 was last seen 0.6% higher, Germany's DAX has shed 0.4%, despite a rebound in exports in September. France's CAC 40, meanwhile, was down 0.6%.

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