The president muddied the timeline for a potential airstrike on Syria
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) are trading well above fair value, as traders brush off geopolitical concerns following a cryptic tweet from President Donald Trump, who said a military strike on Syria "could be very soon or not so soon at all!" Additionally, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Wednesday for "common sense" to prevail, after Trump initially threatened to fire U.S. missiles at Syria. And while the economic calendar is relatively light, Wall Street will be watching the start of earnings season. Ahead of a busy morning of big-cap bank earnings tomorrow, BlackRock (BLK) shares are higher in electronic trading, after the financial firm reported first-quarter profit and revenue beats.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
- History suggests is could be time to buy these 2 pharma stocks.
- Options popped as this gold fund flirts with new highs.
- Call traders pounced on this bouncing social media stock.
- Plus, dreary forecast drops BBBY shares; a bouncing airline stock; and the blockchain stock soaring with bitcoin.

5 Things You Need to Know Today
- The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 753,405 call contracts traded on Wednesday, compared to 491,077 put contracts. The single-session equity put/call ratio jumped to 0.65, and the 21-day moving average stayed at 0.66.
- Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBY) reported a fiscal fourth-quarter earnings beat on in-line revenue. However, the homegoods retailer offered up a lower-than-expected 2018 profit forecast, sparking a round of bearish brokerage notes. BBBY stock is set to open the session down 17% -- at its lowest mark since November 2008 -- a reaction options traders were betting on.
- Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) said first-quarter adjusted profit arrived at 74 cents per share on $9.97 billion in revenue -- both beating the consensus estimates. DAL stock is up 2.3% in pre-market trading, after closing last night at $51.47 -- though remains in the red for the historically tough quarter.
- Riot Blockchain Inc (NASDAQ:RIOT) shares are up 8.5% in electronic trading, after bitcoin topped $8,000 earlier -- last seen up 11.2%. RIOT stock has plunged 76.7% year-to-date, based on last night's close at $6.62.
- Weekly jobless claims, import and export prices, and the Fed's balance sheet are all due out today. Rite Aid Corporation (RAD) will report earnings.

Asian Stocks Spooked By Syria; Europe Eyes ECB Meeting Minutes
Stocks in Asia ended lower today, as uncertainty over Syria shook markets. Japan's Nikkei gave back 0.1%, due to a slide in automaker and oil stocks. South Korea's Kospi also shed 0.1%, despite a Samsung Electronics rebound. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.2% amid weakness from the finance and industrial sectors. Lastly, China's Shanghai Composite finished down 0.9%, after the Commerce Ministry there said the country would “fight back without any hesitation” if the U.S. escalated trade tensions again.
Markets in Europe are mixed at midday, as investors eye the escalating geopolitical tensions and the latest meeting minutes from the European Central Bank (ECB). London's FTSE 100 was slightly lower at last check, despite a big M&A-induced rise from gambling stock Playtech. The French CAC 40 is up 0.2%, as traders react to an earnings miss from retailer Carrefour. Elsewhere, the German DAX is up 0.5%, with retail giant Puma reporting strong sales in its first quarter and raising its guidance.