The DJIA is looking to snap its four-day losing streak, amid interest-rate uncertainty from one Fed member
After
four straight days of losses, futures on the
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) are signaling a higher open. Traders appear to be brushing off a dreary earnings report from
Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) -- which has shares of the blue chip down 7% ahead of the bell -- and focusing on relatively dovish comments from Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell. Meanwhile, ahead of
Friday's highly anticipated employment report, ADP said the private sector added a much lower-than-expected 185,000 jobs last month.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
And now, on to the numbers…
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) are more than 105 points above fair value.
5 Things You Need to Know Today
- Upbeat data on the services sector failed to lift stocks in China -- but European bourses are rallying after a positive purchasing managers index (PMI) reading.
- The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) tacked on 3.5% yesterday to settle squarely at 13 -- home to its 10-day moving average, as well as open interest of 14,123 call contracts at the August 13 strike. While this may seem lofty, peak front-month call open interest of 300,322 contracts is currently found at the August 18 strike.
- Speaking on CNBC's "Squawk Box," Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell -- a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) -- said that he is undecided on a September rate hike. Powell, however, reiterated the Fed's outlook from its July meeting that the labor market continues to show signs of improvement. (Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart, meanwhile, told The Wall Street Journal yesterday he backed raising interest rates next month.)
- Etsy Inc (NASDAQ:ETSY) is poised to continue its short history of dismal post-earnings price action, with the shares down 20% in electronic trading, and headed toward record-low territory. Last night, the online marketplace said its quarterly loss widened thanks to hefty marketing costs -- a metric which will negatively impact current-quarter numbers, as well.
- Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) recent implosion -- the stock is down 14.8% from its April 28 all-time high of $134.54 -- has erased around $113 billion in market value. The shares are pointed 0.6% lower this morning, after closing last night at $114.64, thanks to a downgrade to "neutral" from "buy" at BofA-Merrill Lynch.
Market Statistics
- Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE), ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP), and Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE:RAD) were among the equities with unusual call and put activity on Tuesday. For the entire list, read Unusual Options Activity: COP, AWAY, GPS, RAD, PFE, and WFC.
- The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 811,805 call contracts traded on Tuesday, compared to 610,690 put contracts. The resultant single-session equity put/call ratio moved up to 0.75, while the 21-day moving average remained at 0.68.
- For info on currencies, commodities, trading volume, market breadth, and more, read Stock Market Stats for August 4, 2015.
Earnings and Economic Data
The ADP employment report kicked off a big week of jobs data with numbers that missed economists' estimates. Traders will also digest a larger-than-expected international trade gap, as well as the Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) non-manufacturing index and the regularly scheduled crude inventories report.
On the earnings front, TSLA, Chesapeake Energy (CHK), Fitbit Inc (FIT), Herbalife (HLF), Keurig Green Mountain (GMCR), Transocean LTD (RIG), Agrium (AGU), Ariad Pharmaceuticals (ARIA), Barrick Gold (ABX), CBS Corporation (CBS), Clean Energy Fuels (CLNE), DISH Network Corp (DISH), GoDaddy (GDDY), Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ), Kate Spade (KATE), Lumber Liquidators (LL), Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (MSO), Perrigo (PRGO), Ralph Lauren Corp (RL), SodaStream (SODA), Time Warner Inc (TWX), Wendy's (WEN), and Zulily (ZU) will report. To see what else is on this week's agenda, click here.