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The nonfarm payrolls report badly missed expectations
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is set for a rough start to the week, with futures signaling a triple-digit drop as traders react to Friday's disappointing nonfarm payrolls figure. Specifically, the 126,000 U.S. jobs added in March fell well below analysts' predictions of around 245,000. Coming back from the long weekend, traders will have the Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) non-manufacturing index to look forward to.
And now, on to the numbers...
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) are about 129 points below fair value.
Market Statistics
The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 756,875 call contracts traded on Thursday, compared to 611,739 put contracts. The resultant single-session equity put/call ratio shot up to 0.81, while the 21-day moving average remained at 0.67.
Currencies and Commodities
- The U.S. dollar index fell 0.8% to 96.62.
- Crude oil jumped 2.4% to $50.32 per barrel.
- Gold added 1.5% at $1,218.80 per ounce.
Earnings and Economic Data
The week kicks off with the ISM non-manufacturing index. A. Schulman (SHLM) is the day's sole earnings reporter. To see what else is on this week's agenda, click here.
Overseas Trading
Stocks in Asia finished mixed in a low-volume session. South Korea's Kospi edged out a 0.05% gain, with Japan's Nikkei falling 0.2%. Markets in China and Hong Kong were closed for holiday.
European bourses remain closed today in observance of the Easter holiday.
Unusual Put and Call Activity:
For an explanation of how to use this information, check out our Education Center topics on Option Volume and Open Interest Configurations.