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Dow Jones Industrial Average Futures Higher Ahead of Holiday-Shortened Week

2 Airline Stocks Taking Off; Plus, The Semiconductor Stock on Fire

Nov 21, 2016 at 9:06 AM
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It's looking to be a healthy start for this holiday-shortened week of trading, with Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures comfortably above fair value. It could be a fairly quiet day for the market, with no major economic reports due for release, and the earnings schedule winding down. Oil prices are boosting stocks this morning, eyeing three-week highs ahead of next week's Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting. At last check, December-date crude futures are 2.6% higher at $46.88 per barrel.

Meanwhile, traders this morning are digesting the latest remarks from Federal Reserve Vice Chair Stanley Fischer, who noted the U.S. economy is now in "the vicinity" of the central bank's targets for inflation and employment, thus strengthening the case for an expected December interest-rate hike. Fischer also commented on the importance of factors beyond the Fed, saying "improved public infrastructure, better education, more encouragement for private investment, and more effective regulation all likely have a role to play in promoting faster growth of productivity and living standards." 

Continue reading for more on today's market, including: 

Dow Futures November 21

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) are 38 points above fair value.

5 Things You Need to Know Today
  
  1. The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 1,001,409 call contracts traded on Friday, compared to 678,807 put contracts. The resultant single-session equity put/call ratio climbed to 0.68, while the 21-day moving average edged up to 0.67.
  2. Just over a week after "go private" rumblings sent Lifelock Inc (NYSE:LOCK) cruising higher, the company announced it will be bought by Symantec Corporation (SYMC) in a $2.3 billion deal. LOCK stock is up 14.4% ahead of the bell as a result.
  3. Chinese e-tailer Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) is set to take on tech giants including Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), announcing it will expand its cloud business by opening four new data centers across the world. The shares have tacked on 0.5% in electronic trading.
  4. Tech titan Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is up 0.2% ahead of the bell, after the company reported it will replace batteries for some iPhone 6S smartphones that have been shutting down unexpectedly. AAPL outperformed many of its "FANG"counterparts last week, but the shares have struggled to break out above the round $110 level since their post-election pullback.
  5. The economic calendar for the day is bare, but Canadian Solar (CSIQ), Jack in the Box (JACK), Palo Alto Networks (PANW), Tyson Foods (TSN), and Weibo (WB) are scheduled to report earnings.

Buzz Stocks Nov 21

Overseas Trading

Asian markets ended mostly higher, as oil prices rose and the dollar took a breather from its recent climb higher. Japan's Nikkei finished up 0.8%, as a falling yen helped offset a 13th straight month of falling exports. China's Shanghai Composite also gained 0.8% to post its highest close since Jan. 6, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng tacked on 0.1%. The South Korean Kospi closed down 0.4%, amid news prosecutors formally accused President Park Geun-hye of aiding an extortion scheme.

European stocks are higher at midday, also buoyed by rising oil prices and a falling greenback, ahead of European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi's speech set for later today, which could provide insight to any upcoming changes in monetary policy. The French CAC 40 is up 0.5%, after the country's former President Nicholas Sarkozy dropped out of the primaries for next year's presidential election. Elsewhere, Germany's DAX has risen 0.3%, following Chancellor Angela Merkel's announcement she will run for a fourth term. London's FTSE has added 0.4% so far today, as commodity and energy stocks rise.

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