Stock Futures Point to Lower Open

Coronavirus headwinds could have stocks in the red today

Josh Selway

Feb 21, 2020 at 9:21 AM

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) futures are trading more than 100 points below fair value, as coronavirus concerns pick back up. This comes after stocks suddenly pulled back on Thursday, with the selling set to continue on the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX), as well. As such, the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) could be due for another rise, along with gold prices, while the Dow and S&P 500 are pacing for weekly losses.

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

The Reddit speculation that sparked huge trading on Lumber Liquidators.
How traders reacted to the Avis Budget stock surge.
Plus, gold stock jumps; penny stock on the rise; and Dropbox eyes a comeback.

US stock futures feb 21

5 Things You Need to Know Today

The Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 1.66 million call contracts traded on Friday, to 856,216 put contracts. The single-session equity put/call ratio moved to 0.51, and the 21-day moving average stayed at 0.54.
The rise in gold prices were able to help quarterly results from AngloGold Ashanti Limited (NYSE:AU), which is set to rise 6.5% at the open. The shares could now take aim at the $23 area that's capped their upside in the past six months. For their part, options traders at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) have been very bullish in the past 10 days, buying 10.30 calls for every put.
Penny stock DPW Holdings Inc (NYSEAMERICAN:DPW) is trading up 36.4% before the open, on news one of its subsidiaries received a $1.4 million order from an aerospace customer. The stock will try to make up some of its massive year-over-year losses, as it closed yesterday at $1.54, compared to a year-ago price near $80.
Dropbox Inc (NASDAQ:DBX) is up 16.5% in pre-market trading, thanks to the company's better-than-expected quarterly results. This has DBX pacing to trade above $20 for the first time since November, and above the 200-day moving average for the first time since August.
The Markit manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) and the Markit services PMI come out today. Existing home sales will also be in the spotlight. The end of the week is relatively quiet on the earnings side, with Cinemark (CNK) reporting.

Mixed Trading Overseas

Asian markets were mostly lower today, with the exception of China’s Shanghai Composite, which added 0.3%, amid reports from China’s Ministry of Commerce that work in the region has resumed rapidly, specifically in foreign trade provinces Guangdong and Jiangsu. On the other hand, South Korea’s Kospi suffered a considerable 1.5% loss after chipmaker SK Hynix said 800 employees quarantined themselves upon discovering a trainee had contact with a coronavirus patient. Elsewhere, Japan’s Nikkei dropped 0.4% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.1%.

Stocks in Europe are mostly flat midday, as investors respond to a standstill in the European Union’s budget talks, as well as anxieties over a growing number of coronavirus cases. At last check, London’s FTSE 100 is down 0.1%, the German DAX is up 0.1%, while the French CAC 40 is sitting at breakeven.

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