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The European Central Bank chose not to change interest rates
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is looking to build on yesterday's earnings-induced momentum, with futures pointed higher following a well-received report from blue chip Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC). Meanwhile, former component Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC) is struggling to pick a direction after releasing numbers. Elsewhere, traders are digesting a raft of data out of China -- including an in-line economic expansion rate -- as well as the European Central Bank's (ECB) decision to leave interest rates unchanged. On the home front, today will be busy, with a number of Fed officials slated to speak, and several economic reports -- including industrial production data and the Beige Book -- hitting the Street.
And now, on to the numbers...
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) are roughly 56 points above fair value.
Market Statistics
The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 827,264 call contracts traded on Tuesday, compared to 546,388 put contracts. The resultant single-session equity put/call ratio jumped to 0.66, while the 21-day moving average held at 0.65.
Currencies and Commodities
- The U.S. dollar index is up 0.4% at 99.16.
- Crude oil has popped 0.8% to trade at $55.30 per barrel.
- Gold has edged 0.1% lower at $1,191.20 per ounce.
Earnings and Economic Data
Today is busy on the economic front, with the Empire State manufacturing index, industrial production and capacity utilization, the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) housing market index, weekly crude inventories, and the Fed's Beige Book all due. Delta Air Lines (DAL), SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), Netflix (NFLX), Charles Schwab (SCHW), PNC Financial Services Group (PNC), and U.S. Bancorp (USB) are slated to report earnings. To see what else is on this week's agenda, click here.
Overseas Trading
Asian equities ended mixed, following China's latest gross domestic product (GDP), which was in line with the consensus estimate. However, mainland factory output, fixed asset investments, and retail sales numbers all failed to meet expectations, pressuring the Shanghai Composite to a 1.2% drop. Japan's Nikkei also edged lower, losing 0.2%. On the other hand, Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.2%, while South Korea's Kospi tacked on 0.4% to bring its win streak to four days.
European bourses are solidly higher, after the ECB decided not to modify interest rates after the first month of quantitative easing. At last check, London's FTSE 100 was up 0.3%, Germany's DAX has added 0.5%, and the French CAC 40 was 0.7% higher.
Unusual Put and Call Activity:
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