AAPL is leading the charge this morning after an upgrade
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) futures are on the rebound this morning following yesterday's massive market crash -- the worst since the "Black Monday" crash of 1987 -- up over 1,000 points in electronic trading. Blue chip Apple (AAPL) is leading the charge, following an upgrade from Wells Fargo. Meanwhile, S&P 500 Index (SPX) futures just triggered the "limit up" level, which acts as a pre-market circuit breaker should any major index surge more than 5% before the bell. Futures on the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) are also making sizable gains.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
- Why Best Buy stock got slammed especially hard yesterday.
- CME Group's decision to close its floor is making some investors nervous.
- Plus, Disney, United Airlines make efforts to stop spread of coronavirus; and DOCU pops after earnings report.
5 Things You Need to Know Today
- The Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 966,620 call contracts traded on Thursday, compared to 1.24 million put contracts. The single-session equity put/call ratio rose to 1.28, and the 21-day moving average climbed to 0.73.
- Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) announced this morning the temporary closure of theme parks in California and Florida in an effort to combat the rapid spread of the coronavirus. The company said the parks will be closed through the end of the month. At last check, Disney stock is up 6.5%, just one day after hitting a three-year low of $91.64. This positive price action comes despite three price-target cuts this morning, including one to $140 from $180 at Rosenblatt Securities.
- In a similar effort to squelch the growing pandemic, and in light of U.S. President Donald Trump's European travel ban, United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL) said it will be cutting back on all regularly scheduled flights to Europe after March 19. UAL is up 11.1% at last check, and skidded into a six -year low yesterday.
- DocuSign Inc (NASDAQ:DOCU) is up 17% in electronic trading after posting fourth-quarter earnings of 12 cents per share on revenue of $274.9 million, both of which exceeded analysts' estimates. The firm's full-year guidance also exceeded analysts' estimates. Amidst the broad market headwinds, DOCU has found support at its 200-day trendline.
- Import/export prices and the consumer sentiment survey are on today's economic agenda.
Asian Markets Sit Out Rally While European Stocks Bounce
Markets in Asia sat out the rally to end the week. Japan's Nikkei lost 6.1%, diving deeper into bear market territory as airline stocks like ANA Holdings continue to plunge. South Korea's Kospi shed 3.4%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.1%. Rounding out the region, China's Shanghai Composite finished down 1.2%.
Stocks in Europe, meanwhile, are bouncing back after yesterday's historic sell-off. Although Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that as many as 10,000 people in the U.K. could be infected with COVID-19, -- including Arsenal Football Club coach Mikel Arteta -- London's FTSE 100 is up 7.2% at last check. A bounce-back session from Air France has the French CAC 40 gaining by 7%, while the German DAX is 6.5% higher thanks to a big day from fintech stock Wirecard.