Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq Ready for More Gains

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) point to a continuation of yesterday's strong finish. Even more notable, the Nasdaq Composite (COMP) is poised to add to its record-setting gains. Ahead of a day with only durable goods orders on the economic calendar, all three major indexes are set to finish with strong weekly leads. Among individual equities, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will be in focus, as today marks the launch of its much-anticipated Apple Watch.

• F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIV) had a solid post-earnings session -- so why did options traders bet on a long-term slump?
• This homebuilder got buried after earnings -- a fate this airline stock is looking to avoid after its last disappointment.
• How the recent crop of option buyers could profit on jilted Time Warner Cable Inc (NYSE:TWC).

And now, on to the numbers...

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) are 17.3 points above fair value.

Market Statistics

The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 1.05 million call contracts traded on Thursday, compared to 691,952 put contracts. The resultant single-session equity put/call ratio jumped to 0.66, while the 21-day moving average rose to 0.64.

Currencies and Commodities

• The U.S. dollar index is down 0.1% at 97.23.
• Crude oil is down 0.4% to trade at $57.49 per barrel.
• Gold is off 0.7% at $1,186.30 per ounce.

Earnings and Economic Data

The week's economic calendar will close out with durable goods orders. Also, the Apple Watch will officially be released. American Airlines (AAL), AstraZeneca (AZN), Biogen (BIIB), ImmunoGen (IMGN), LyondellBasell (LYB), Steven Madden (SHOO), Tyco International (TYC), and Xerox (XRX) are scheduled to release quarterly numbers.

Overseas Trading

Asian bourses finished mostly lower today, with stocks pulling back from the highs seen in the previous session. The only positive index was Hong Kong's Hang Seng, which added 0.8%. On the other hand, Japan's Nikkei lost 0.8%, with South Korea's Kospi and China's Shanghai Composite losing 0.6% and 0.5%, respectively.

Across the board, European equities are modestly higher at last check, as positive earnings numbers overshadow growing anxiety over Greece's ability to secure bailout funds. Germany's DAX is sporting the biggest lead, up 0.5%. France's CAC 40 and London's FTSE 100 have each added 0.3%.

Unusual Put and Call Activity