There’s plenty of action coming on Thursday.
Here are 4 tips for today's trading. This will help you decide where you should invest and what to look for:
1. 250% rise in 8 years
1. 250% rise in 8 years
Stocks are celebrating - America's bull market turns eight years old on Thursday.
The S&P 500 has shot up an incredible 250% since March 2009. But it would have to charge ahead for another four years to match the length of the longest bull market in history, which ran between 1987 and 2000.
Investors aren't in much of a celebratory mood on Thursday. U.S. stock futures were holding steady following three consecutive days of declines.
European markets were mixed in early trading. Most Asian markets ended the day with losses.
2. Gold prices extended loses
2. Gold prices extended loses
Gold futures extended a slump into an eighth consecutive session Thursday, sending the yellow metal to the lowest level since the start of February amid increasing confidence the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates at its upcoming policy meeting next week.
The precious metal is sensitive to moves in U.S. rates, which lift the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets such as bullion, while boosting the dollar in which it is priced.
3. ECB on watch, Oil rebounds
3. ECB on watch, Oil slipping
The European Central Bank will issue a decision on interest rates at 12:45 GMT - no major policy changes are expected. Investors will be looking for clues about future policy when ECB president Mario Draghi holds a press conference at 13:30 GMT.
Crude oil futures are slipping further after suffering a sharp fall on Wednesday. Investors had hit the sell button after a report showed a large increase in U.S. crude inventories.
Crude is currently trading below $50.00 per barrel, down about 7% from a recent peak in February.
4. China with mixed data
4. China with mixed data
China's producer price index jumped more than expected by 7.8% in February from the previous year, the fastest pace since September 2008, the National Statistics Bureau (NSB) said on Thursday.
In contrast, consumer prices slowed from a year ago, to 0.8%, its slowest pace since January 2015, largely due to falling food prices.
Cooling inflationary pressures could reduce the risk that the nation's central bank would have to respond more forcefully.
