Last week's wild surge isn't over yet, it would seem
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) are looking at a triple-digit open this morning, right on the heels of one of Wall Street's wildest trading weeks ever. Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) and S&P 500 Index (SPX) futures are also higher before the bell. More volatility on Wall Street could be in the cards this week, with investors looking at a huge spike in coronavirus cases over the weekend. President Donald Trump expended the national social distancing guidelines to April 30, flip-flopping on his initial plan to reopen businesses by Easter, which public health experts warned could be catastrophic.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
5 Things You Need to Know Today
- The Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 1.06 million call contracts traded on Friday, and 747,664 put contracts. The single-session equity put/call ratio rose to 0.7, and the 21-day moving average fell to 0.84.
- Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) announced that human testing of its experimental coronavirus vaccine will begin in September, adding that the vaccine could be available for emergency use by early next year. In response, JNJ stock is up 4.2% before the open. JNJ is 20% off its Feb. 6 record high of $154.50.
- Meanwhile, Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) said that because of an overwhelming demand for its experimental COVID-19 treatment, it would stop taking individual emergency requests for the drug. Shares of the drugmaker are up 2.8% in pre-market trading, and sport a 12% year-to-date lead in 2020.
- Cal-Mine Foods Inc (NASDAQ:CALM) is trading flat ahead of the open, after posting third-quarter profits of 28 cents per share, and $345.59 million in revenue -- both of which beat analysts' estimates. CALM ended last week facing off with its year-to-date breakeven level.
- Today, pending home sales is the only data on tap.
Spike in COVID-19 Cases Sends Markets in Europe, Asia Lower
Markets in Asia were lower to start off the new week, as Johns Hopkins University confirmed the coronavirus outbreak surpassed 720,000 infected individuals worldwide. Japan's Nikkei dropped 1.6%, with industrial heavyweight Softbank taking a 5% hit. Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe noted over the weekend the government is working with Fujifilm to develop an anti-flu drug. South Korea's Kospi ended marginally lower, while China's Shanghai Composite and the Hang Seng Index gave back 0.9% and 1.3%, respectively.
Over in Europe stocks are also in the red. The number of coronavirus fatalities in Italy fell for the second straight day, but the nation remains on lockdown until April 3. London's FTSE 100 is down 0.7% at last check, while the French CAC 40 is off by 1.1%. Rounding out the region is the German DAX which finished marginally lower.