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The euro fell to a nine-year low against the dollar
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:DJI) is on pace to follow its European counterparts into the red, as investors continue to fret over oil's prolonged slide. While traders will be looking ahead to a handful of market-moving events slated for later this week, today's release of motor vehicle sales could create some action among auto names. Ahead of the bell, sector stalwarts Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) and General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) are both pointed lower -- the latter following Friday's fresh round of recalls.
And now, on to the numbers...
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) are roughly 63 points below fair value.
Market Statistics
The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 813,248 call contracts traded on Friday, compared to 649,175 put contracts. The resultant single-session equity put/call ratio jumped to 0.80, while the 21-day moving average moved up to 0.65.
Currencies and Commodities
- The U.S. dollar index is up 0.5% at 91.64.
- Crude oil is on pace to tag another five-year low in today's session, and was last seen down 2.8% at $51.22 per barrel.
- Gold is 0.3% higher at $1,190 per ounce.
Earnings and Economic Data
The week kicks off with the motor vehicle sales report. There are no notable earnings on tap.
Overseas Trading
Asian benchmarks finished mostly lower today, as last week's lackluster manufacturing data and a continued sell-off in crude oil weighed on investor sentiment. By the close, Hong Kong's Hang Seng and South Korea's Kospi were both staring at 0.6% losses, while Japan's Nikkei dropped 0.2%. China's Shanghai Composite, however, bucked the regional bearish bias, jumping 3.6% -- its highest perch since December 2009 -- amid a rally in airline stocks.
European markets are swimming in red ink at midday, amid a sector-wide slump in energy and auto names. Elsewhere, the euro fell to a nine-year low against the dollar, as speculation swirls over the European Central Bank's (ECB) next monetary policy decision -- due out later this month. At last check, the French CAC 40 is off 1%, London's FTSE 100 is flirting with an 0.8% loss, and the German DAX is down 0.5%.
Unusual Put and Call Activity:
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