Oil firmed at around $28 a barrel after a sharp decline Wednesday. U.S. stock futures were tracking lower. Oh, and the European Central Bank is meeting Thursday.
Here are 4 tips for today's trading. This will help you decide where you should invest and what to look for:
1. Eyes on European Central Bank
1. Eyes on European Central Bank
"Super" Mario Draghi and his band of central bankers will give their latest views on Europe's lack of inflation and what help its economies might, or might not, need. The ECB disappointed markets with muted action after meeting in December.
2. International markets overview
2. International markets overview
European markets are mixed in early trading, while Asian markets closed with losses. The Hang Seng ended the day 1.7% lower, the Nikkei closed down 2.4% and Shanghai shed 3%.
3. Stock market movers
3. Stock market movers
Sharp (SHCAY) shares soared 5.5% in Tokyo on reports that Foxconn might buy the troubled tech firm. Publisher Pearson (PSORF) jumped 10% at the start of trading after announcing a restructuring which includes cutting 10% of its workforce.
IBM (IBM, Tech30) is down around 5% in premarket trading as its shares continue to fall after poor results.
4. Economics and recap
4. Economics and recap
A weekly report on jobless insurance claims in the U.S. is due from the federal government at 8:30 a.m. ET. Also at 8:30 a.m. - the Philadelphia Federal Reserve will issue its manufacturing index for January. Last month the index slipped back into contraction mode with a -5.9 reading.
Finally, Wall Street will be watching for new data on U.S. crude inventory levels, expected at 11:00 a.m.
After sharp falls yesterday, the Dow Jones industrial average ended the day with a 1.6% loss, while the S&P 500 was down 1.2% and the Nasdaq dipped 0.1%.
