The U.S. Abassador to the United Nations said there's evidence a Russian invasion could be "imminent"
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) are signaling a triple-digit drop this morning, though upbeat earnings from Walmart (WMT) have put some wind at the index's back. The S&P 500 (SPX) and Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) are also headed lower ahead of the bell, as investors eye ongoing tension between Ukraine and Russia, with the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations calling a Russian invasion "imminent."
Meanwhile another round of weekly jobless claims showed a rise to 248,000, toppling expectations. Housing permits also rose higher than expected, though housing starts missed the mark. The Federal Reserve's latest meeting minutes -- released yesterday -- are also reverberating through Wall Street, signaling a quickly approaching interest rate hike, as expected.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
- Breaking down 1 options bear's big pre-earnings trade on Cerner stock.
- How markets responded to Roblox's dismal quarterly results.
- Plus, CSCO lifts annual forecast; activist investor looks to shake up Hasbro; and PLTR suffers earnings miss.

5 Things You Need to Know Today
- The Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 1.26 million call contracts traded on Wednesday, and 741,951 put contracts. The single-session equity put/call ratio rose to 0.59, and the 21-day moving average stayed at 0.55.
- The shares of Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO) are up 2.8% this morning, following the company's fiscal second-quarter earnings and revenue beat. Cisco Systems also lifted its full-year forecast, citing growing demand from cloud computing firms.
- It was just announced that five directors have been nominated by Alta Fox Capital to the Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) board. The activist investor is also making a push for Hasbro to spin off its gaming unit. Ahead of the open, HAS is up 5.5%.
- Planatir Technologies Inc (NYSE:PLTR), meanwhile, shared fourth-quarter earnings that missed expectations, though its revenue beat estimates. In response, PLTR is down nearly 9% in premarket trading.
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The Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index is on deck today.

Japan's Nikkei Crumbles on Disappointing Economic Data
Markets in Asia were mostly higher today, with the exception of Japan's Nikkei, which posted a 0.8% loss amid news that the country's exports rose 9.6% year-over-year in January, which is far below analyst expectations of a 16.5% gain. The South Korean Kospi led the winners with a 0.5% rise, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.3% and China's Shanghai Composite inched up 0.06%.
European bourses are mixed midday, as investors digest corporate earnings while eyeing geopolitical tensions. London's FTSE 100 is down 0.4%, while the German DAX and French CAC 40 are up 0.2% and 0.5%, respectively, the latter two boosted by corporate reports from the likes of Commerzbank and Kering.