Stock futures are marginally lower this morning, as investors remain uncertain about the likelihood of additional stimulus and the U.S. election. Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell discouraged U.S. President Donald Trump's administration from agreeing to a bill, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, said in a tweet that "Today's conversation brings us closer to being able to put pen to paper to write legislation." However, a tweet from U.S. President Donald Trump poured cold water on Hammill's reassurance a little later in the evening.  

As a result, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) are down nearly 50 points, while S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) futures are both below fair market value. Elsewhere, investors are poring over another round of weekly jobless claims, which totaled 787,000 -- marking the first time since March that claims came in below 800,000.

A slew of positive earnings reports are keeping losses in check, too, including upbeat reports from Tesla (TSLA) and Coca-Cola (KO). However, futures faced further pressure, after U.S. officials said Iran is taking steps to interfere with the U.S. presidential election, while Russia has obtained American voter information.

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

• There's a lot to love about Bilibili stock.
• A tried and true bull signal bodes well for this gold stock.
• Plus, Tesla notches fifth consecutive quarterly profit; General Motors sold out of its new truck; and Exxon is detailing planned job cuts.

5 Things You Need to Know Today

1. The Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE) saw more than 1.4 million call contracts traded on Wednesday, and 735,167 put contracts. The single-session equity put/call ratio fell to 0.50 and the 21-day moving average slipped to 0.47. 
2. Electric car manufacturer Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TLSA) is up 3.2% in pre-market trading, after the company reported third-quarter earnings and revenue that topped Wall Street's estimates. This marked Tesla's fifth consecutive quarterly profit, and helps explain the equity's meteoric 726.8% year-over-year rise. 
3. General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) unveiled a new GMC Hummer electric pickup truck earlier this week, and the car manufacturer just announced that it's sold out of the first year's worth of production. GM is flat ahead of the bell, but up 20.9% for the current quarter.
4. Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) is up 0.03% before the open, after its CEO Darren Woods said in an email, seen by Reuters, that it is "very close" to delineating job cuts in the U.S. and Canada. XOM has had a rough go of it on the charts, shedding 52.5% in 2020.
5. Things are picking up today, with initial and continuous jobless claims, as well as existing home sales. Also, AT&T (T), Intel (INTC), and Southwest Air (LUV) will step into the earnings confessional.

Asian Stocks Lower on International Monetary Fund Downgrade

Stocks in Asia were mostly lower after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) downgraded its forecast for Asia-Pacific to negative 2.2% in 2020. Jonathan D. Ostry, the current Deputy Director, wrote in a blog post that the countries are experiencing a multispeed recovery from the region’s  “worst recession in living memory.” Today’s only winner, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, added 0.1%. Meanwhile, Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.7%, China’s Shanghai Composite dropped 0.4%, and the South Korean Kospi lost 0.7%.

European markets are higher midday, as investors break down a slew of corporate earnings. The German DAX is up 0.2%, brushing off less-than-satisfactory consumer data, which shows forward-looking consumer confidence at negative 3.1 points for November in comparison to October’s 1.7. Elsewhere, London’s FTSE 100 and the French CAC 40 have gained 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively.

Stock futures are on the rise to close out the week, as investors continue to await a final outcome for the looming fiscal stimulus. Additionally, Wall Street is keeping its eyes on a slew of corporate earnings and the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of Gilead Sciences' (GILD) remdesivir, as a treatment against the coronavirus. As a result, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) are up around 80 points, while S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) futures are marginally higher, as well. Meanwhile, last night U.S. President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden took the stage for the final presidential debate before Election Day, and while futures remain little changed throughout the event, the pair spoke on a broad range of issues including the pandemic, foreign policy and health care.

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

• DocuSign stock could regain strength soon if this bull signal plays out.
• Why this blue chip giant has a few big weeks ahead.
• Plus, Intel beat revenue expectations; Gilead Sciences's big win; and Shake Shack stock lands analyst praise.

5 Things You Need to Know Today

1. The Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE) saw more than 1.5 million call contracts traded on Thursday, and 745,352 put contracts. The single-session equity put/call ratio fell to 0.48 and the 21-day moving average stayed at 0.47. 
2. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) is down 9% before the open, after the company reported third-quarter earnings that were in line with estimates. Revenue, meanwhile came in above expectations, while the equity boasts a year-over-year lead of 4.2%.
3. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Gilead Sciences, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GILD) remdesivir, as a treatment for coronavirus, after previously being authorized for emergency use. As a result, GILD is up7.1% in pre-market trading, but down 6.6% in 2020.
4. Shake Shack Inc (NYSE:SHAK) is up 1.1% ahead of the bell, after Oppenheimer initiated coverage at "outperform," citing the potential for the restaurant chain's footprint to grow triple its current size. Longer term, is up 21.8% year-to-date.
5. The week closes out with the Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), the Markit Services PMI, and no earnings of note.

European Stocks Pivoting Higher Thanks to Auto and Earnings

Stocks in Asia were mostly higher after today’s session, as investors eyed semi-conductor related stocks after Intel’s (INTC) mixed earnings report. China’s Shanghai Composite, the only outlier, fell 1%. Elsewhere, Japan’s Nikkei and the South Korean Kospi added 0.2%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng tacked on 0.5%.

In Europe, shares are rising midday with help from auto and earnings from bank stocks such as Barclays, brushing off the flash Eurozone composite PMI, which came in below the 50 mark. London’s FTSE 100 is up 1.5% at last check, after sales volume increased by 1.5 in September, bring overall sales to pre-pandemic levels. Elsewhere, the German DAX is up 1.2%, while the French CAC 40 enjoys a 1.4% gain.