Travel Stocks Brush Off Omicron Fears, Send Dow Futures Higher

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) futures are up 213 points before the bell this morning, as travel stocks brush off the White House's tightening restrictions, and rebound from yesterday's steep losses following confirmation of the Covid-19 omicron variant in the U.S. Meanwhile, futures on the S&P 500 (SPX) are modestly higher, while Nasdaq-100 (NDX) futures sit in the red. Initial jobless claims came in at 222,000 for last week, which is lower than the estimated 240,000, amid the continued labor shortage. 

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

• A look at DocuSign stock ahead of today's earnings report. 
• Yeti stock has pulled back to a historically bullish trendline. 
• Plus, Snowflake's earnings blowout; retailer suffering post-earnings; and the latest in Apple iPhone demand.

5 Things You Need to Know Today

1. The Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE) saw more than 1.9 million call contracts traded on Wednesday, and over 1 million put contracts. The single-session equity put/call ratio rose to 0.52, and the 21-day moving average stayed at 0.47.
2. Snowflake Inc (NYSE:SNOW) stock is up 14.8% before the open, after the cloud company reported better-than-expected third-quarter results. In response, no fewer than nine analysts lifted their price targets. Heading into today, SNOW has added 10.5% in 2021. 
3. Retail name Lands End Inc (NASDAQ:LE) is plummeting in electronic trading, down 18.3% at last glance, after a posting third-quarter revenue miss and lowering its current-quarter forecast. If these losses hold, LE will slide below its support at the $22 level, as well as its year-to-date breakeven. 
4. Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) is down 3.2% pre-market, after news that the big tech name told some of its suppliers that demand for the iPhone 13 has weakened, according to a report by Bloomberg. It's also worth noting that APPL is brushing off a price-target hike to $200 from $185 from Wedbush, and is looking to fall from yesterday's record high of $170.30. 
5. There is no more economic data of note today. 

Covid-19 Variant Looms Over International Markets

Overarching anxieties surrounding the omicron Covid-19 variant left Asian markets mixed on Thursday. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong managed to tack on 0.6%, despite Razer’s nearly 8% drop following news that a consortium offered to take the company private in an offer worth 2.82 Hong Kong dollars per share – slightly higher than the equity’s close from the previous session. Meanwhile, the Shanghai Composite in China lost 0.09%, the South Korean Kospi added 1.6%, and Japan’s Nikkei shed 0.7%.

European markets are lower midday, as anxieties over the new variant and the U.S. Federal Reserve’s pending tapering decision once again grip the major bourses. At last check, the London FTSE 100 is down 0.9%, the French CAC 40 is 1.3% lower, and the German DAX is down 1.5%.