Dow Jones Industrial Average Pops on Ceasefire Deal

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:DJI) is signaling a fast start this morning, as news of a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire overshadows yesterday's meeting of eurozone finance ministers, which failed to produce a resolution to the Greek debt crisis. Also promising to help the index is an earnings beat from blue chip Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO), which is pointed nearly 7% higher ahead of the bell. Looking ahead, a number of key companies are scheduled to report after the close -- including Groupon Inc (NASDAQ:GRPN) -- while weekly jobless claims and retail sales highlight the day's economic calendar.

• Put buying has heated up on these 3 stocks, set to report earnings today.
• Plug Power Inc (NASDAQ:PLUG) soared on the coattails of this sector peer -- and option bulls responded.
• Short-term call buyers are eyeing the century mark on this biopharmaceutical name, following encouraging words about its hepatitis C treatments.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) are nearly 90 points above fair value.

Market Statistics

The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 1.05 million call contracts traded on Wednesday, compared to 658,556 put contracts. The resultant single-session equity put/call ratio slipped to 0.63, while the 21-day moving average edged down to 0.67.

Currencies and Commodities

• The U.S. dollar index is down 0.3% at 94.67.
• Crude oil has jumped 2.8% at $51.18 per barrel.
• Meanwhile, gold is up 0.3% to trade at $1,222.60 per ounce.

Earnings and Economic Data

Weekly jobless claims, December business inventories, and January retail sales are slated for release today. GRPN, Zynga (ZNGA), Alpha Natural Resources (ANR), American International Group (AIG), Apache (APA), Avon Products (AVP), Boyd Gaming (BYD), CBS (CBS), Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), Cyberark Software (CYBR), Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS), Himax Technologies (HIMX), Hospira (HSP), Kellogg (K), King Digital Entertainment (KING), Kraft Foods (KRFT), Manchester United (MANU), Melco Crown Entertainment (MPEL), Pinnacle Entertainment (PNK), Qlik Technologies (QLIK), Radian Group (RDN), Shire plc (SHPG), Shutterfly (SFLY), and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) will step into the earnings confessional. To see what else is on this week's agenda, click here.

Overseas Trading

Stocks in Asia finished mostly higher, despite the impasse in negotiations between Greece and its creditors, as well as a pullback in oil prices. Japan's Nikkei led the gainers after being closed on Wednesday, adding 1.9% on encouraging machinery orders data for December as well as a weaker yen. The Shanghai Composite tacked on 0.5% as the People's Bank of China injected cash into the market, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.4%. However, South Korea's Kospi dipped 0.2%, hurt by weakness among energy stocks.

European benchmarks are higher around midday, after Ukraine and Russia struck a ceasefire agreement -- with Russian President Vladimir Putin committing to the removal of heavy artillery from the disputed territory. This positive news overshadowed the inability of eurozone finance ministers to reach a bailout agreement with Greece. London's FTSE 100 is up less than 0.1%, with the Bank of England indicating there won't be an interest rate hike in 2015. Elsewhere, the French CAC 40 and German DAX are up 0.9% and 1.6%, respectively.

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