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China's Shanghai Composite plunged 5.3% on slumping crude futures
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:DJI) is poised to open sharply lower, following in the footsteps of its overseas peers -- including a more than 5% decline in China's benchmark index. The global sell-off was primarily sparked by a fresh five-year low in crude futures yesterday. This morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its October Job Openings and Labor Turnover (JOLTS) survey, which traders will be watching carefully ahead of next week's policy-setting meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). Wholesale inventories are also set to hit the Street today.
And now, on to the numbers...
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) are roughly 128 points below fair value.
Market Statistics
The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 1.2 million call contracts traded Monday, compared to 764,250 put contracts. The resultant single-session equity put/call ratio rebounded to 0.62, while the 21-day moving average held steady at 0.59.
Currencies and Commodities
- The U.S. dollar index is down 0.3% at 88.75.
- Crude oil has gained 1% to $63.67 per barrel.
- Gold has rallied 1.4% to $1,211.80 per ounce.
Earnings and Economic Data
The JOLTS employment report hits the Street today, along with wholesale inventories. AutoZone (AZO), Conn's (CONN), Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (KKD), Pep Boys (PBY), and UTI Worldwide (UTIW) will step into the earnings spotlight.
Overseas Trading
Markets in Asia slumped as crude continued to trend lower. China's Shanghai Composite was down by as much as 6% on profit-taking and fears the central bank will lower its 2015 gross domestic product (GDP) target, before settling 5.3% south of the flatline. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was the second biggest percentage decliner, shedding 2.3%. Meanwhile, Japan's Nikkei and South Korea's Kospi gave back 0.7% and 0.4%, respectively.
European bourses are taking their cue from the sell-off in Chinese stocks, paced by weakness in the mining and energy sectors. London's FTSE 100 is off 1.4% around midday, the German DAX has slipped 1.3%, and France's CAC 40 is down 1.5%.
Unusual Put and Call Activity:
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