It is a busy Thursday with major focus on economic news and a slew of Fed speeches and interactions.
Early signs from the U.S. Futures points to a moderately higher opening for Wall Street. The Jobless Claims is the major focus of the investors.
Asian shares finished mixed, while European shares are trading mixed.
Geopolitical developments are closely watched by the investors. The resignation of two Cabinet ministers is adding pressure on U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May's stand on Brexit agreement with the EU.
As of 7.50 am ET, the Dow futures were progressing 44.00 points, the S&P 500 futures were adding 5.00 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures were gaining 35.25 points.
U.S. stocks closed significantly lower on Wednesday. The Dow fell 205.99 points or 0.8 percent to 25,080.50, the Nasdaq tumbled 64.48 points or 0.9 percent to 7,136.39 and the S&P 500 slid 20.60 points or 0.8 percent to 2,701.58.
On the economic front Jobless Claims for the week will be published at 8.30 am ET. The consensus is for 214K, unchanged from the prior week.
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey report for November will be released at 8.30 am ET. The consensus is for 20.0, down from 22.2 in the previous month.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will visit an affordable housing building site and take part in a walking tour through Houston's Fifth Ward to observe post-Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts and take part in a listening session to hear about recovery at the community level in Houston, TX at 11.00 am ET.
Federal Reserve Vice Chairman for Supervision Randal Quarles will deliver the "Semiannual Testimony on the Federal Reserve's Supervision and Regulation of the Financial System," in Washington D.C at 10.00 am ET.
The Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Natural Gas Report for the week will be published at 10.30 am ET. In the prior week, the change was 65 bcf. The Petroleum Status Report will be issued at 11.00 am ET. In the prior week, the Crude oil inventories were up 5.8 million barrels and Gasoline inventories grew by 1.9 million barrels.
Two -year, 10-year Treasury inflation-indexed securities or TIPS auction will be held at 11.00 am ET.
The Treasury Budget for September will be revealed at 2.00 pm ET. The consensus is for a surplus of $3.0 billion, compared to a deficit of $107.7 billion in the prior month.
Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Raphael Bostic will deliver speech at the GIC's Central Banking Series Conference in Madrid, Spain, followed by audience Q&A at 1.00 pm ET.
Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari will participate in a moderated Q&A with the Minnesota AgriGrowth Council in Minneapolis, MN, with audience Q&A at 3.00 pm ET.
The Fed Balance Sheet for the week is expected at 4.30 pm ET. In the previous week, the level was $4.142 trillion.
The Fed Money Supply for the week is scheduled at 4.30 pm ET. The M2 weekly change was $6.2 billion.
In the corporate sector, Retail giant Walmart Inc. reported two percent decrease in profit for the third quarter from last year as higher revenues were offset by one-time charges. Walmart's third-quarter net income was $1.71 billion or $0.58 per share, compared to net income of $1.75 billion or $0.58 per share in the same period last year. Adjusted earnings were $1.08 per share, compared to $1.00 per share last year. Looking ahead, the company lowered its outlook for fiscal 2019 reported earnings, but raised its outlook for adjusted earnings per share and U.S. comparable sales. Total revenue for the quarter rose 1.4 percent to $124.89 billion from $123.18 billion last year. Excluding currency, total revenue increased 2.4 percent to $126.1 billion.
Asian stocks ended mixed on Thursday. Chinese shares closed sharply higher on hopes for possible government action to boost growth. The benchmark Shanghai Composite index rallied 1.36 percent to close at 2,668.17 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index climbed 1.75 percent to 26,103.34.
Japanese shares edged lower. The Nikkei average slid 0.2 percent to 21,803.62 while the broader Topix index closed 0.14 percent lower at 1,638.97.
Australian markets ended marginally higher. The Australian economy added 32,800 jobs last month - beating forecasts for 20,000 following the addition of 7,800 jobs in the previous month. The unemployment rate came in at a seasonally adjusted 5.0 percent, unchanged from the September reading.
European shares are trading mixed. CAC 40 of France is declining 12.71 points ro 0.25 percent. DAX of Germany is adding 19.50 points or 0.17 percent. FTSE 100 of England is gaining 15.67 points or 0.22 percent. Swiss Market Index is dropping 19.73 points or 0.22 percent.
Euro Stoxx 50 that provides a Blue-chip representation of supersector leaders in the Eurozone, is up 0.08 percent.
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