The Dow and SPX are on pace to close the week higher
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures are trading below fair value, as traders digest another round of corporate earnings. Dow stocks Exxon Mobil and Chevron are both pointed lower after earnings, while poorly received results from e-commerce giant Amazon could hold back the Nasdaq Composite (COMP). On the data front, second-quarter U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 2.6% -- more than doubling the 1.2% growth seen in the first quarter -- and the employment cost index rose less than expected.
Healthcare is also in focus, following a failed "skinny repeal" vote on Obamacare in the U.S. Senate last night. And while the Dow and S&P 500 Index (SPX) will try to hold their weekly gains through the close, the Nasdaq is on track to leave its weekly win streak at three.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
- 25 stocks to sell right now.
- This insurance stock could be a short-term buy.
- The out-of-the-money Apple options that have seen heavy volume.
- Plus, First Solar shines; the Chinese internet stock on the rise; and Starbucks cools.

5 Things You Need to Know Today
- The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 1.2 million call contracts traded on Thursday, compared to 883,189 put contracts. The single-session equity put/call ratio moved up to 0.71, and the 21-day moving average edged up to 0.63.
- First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) stock is up 11.6% in pre-market trading -- and could open at an annual high -- after the company gave an upbeat full-year outlook. The shares have been on fire since their early April low, gaining 75% to finish yesterday at $44.81. Meanwhile, Baird set a price target of $57 for FSLR stock -- territory not seen since last April.
- Shares of Chinese search engine Baidu Inc (ADR) (NASDAQ:BIDU) are also set for a big day. BIDU stock is up 5.5% in electronic trading -- eyeing its highest mark since December 2015 -- thanks to the company's strong quarterly results and subsequent round of bullish brokerage notes. As of last night's close at $201, the stock was already up 22% year-to-date.
- Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) is trading down 7% in electronic trading, following the company's lackluster fiscal third-quarter results, lowered full-year forecast, and onslaught of price-target cuts. This price action could have SBUX stock testing its year-to-date breakeven mark.
- Minneapolis Fed Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari is scheduled to speak in Minnesota. Merck & Co (MRK), American Airlines (AAL), and Yandex (YNDX) will also report earnings today. The earnings onslaught will continue next week, and the July nonfarm payrolls report will also be released.

Overseas Trading
Stocks in Asia settled mostly lower today, with traders keeping a wary eye on corporate earnings. Nissan shares closed 4% lower in Tokyo after releasing quarterly results, while Samsung Electronics extended its post-earnings slide in Seoul. Meanwhile, a brief intraday surge in the yen helped to push Japan's Nikkei back below the 20,000 level, dropping 0.6% by the close. Elsewhere, South Korea's Kospi fell 1.7%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng gave up 0.6%, and China's Shanghai Composite bucked the trend with a 0.1% advance.
European markets are down across the board at midday. Technology stocks are caving to pressure after last night's earnings miss from Amazon, and major lenders Barclays and UBS are both trading lower after earnings. At last check, the French CAC 40 is off 1.1%, London's FTSE 100 has shed 0.6%, and the German DAX is down 0.4%.