Here are 4 tips for today's trading. This will help you decide where you should invest and what to look for:
1. U.S. jobs data on focus
1. U.S. jobs data on focus
Investors may get some clues to Friday's nonfarm payrolls report (NFP) when Thursday's ADP jobs report and weekly jobless claims come out. The private ADP payrolls report due at 12:15GMT, is expected to show the addition of 159,000 jobs in June.
Weekly jobless claims, due at 12:30GMT, are expected to rise by 2,000 last week to 270,000.
A further weakness in hiring could be an indication that the Federal Reserve may not raise interest rates anytime soon amid the economic uncertainty following the Brexit vote.
According to the minutes of the Fed's June policy meeting released on Wednesday, policymakers agreed that it was “prudent to wait” for additional data before considering another rate hike.
2. Global market overview
2. Global market overview
Thursday is shaping up to be a positive day in the markets following a strong rally in the U.S. on Wednesday. U.S. stock futures are edging up.
European markets are rebounding following steep drops on Wednesday. Most indexes are up by about 1.5%.
Asian markets ended the day with mixed results. The main indexes in Hong Kong and Korea posted gains while the Nikkei in Japan dropped by 0.7%.
3. The Brexit effects
3. The Brexit effects
The U.K.'s vote to leave the European Union in late June is continuing to have knock-on effects.
Four more asset management firms announced over the past 24 hours that they've halted trading in their commercial real estate funds, which invest heavily in U.K. property.
The funds are invested in illiquid assets, and can't come up with enough cash to repay nervous investors. A total of seven investment funds have now been frozen this week.
Meanwhile, U.K.-traded pest control firm Rentokil (RTOKY) said the slump in the British pound could boost its 2016 profits by as much as £30 million ($39 million) since it makes most of its money outside the U.K.
Shares in Rentokil are rallying in London by about 3.5%.
4. Takeover time
4. Takeover time
Shares in French dairy firm Danone (DANOY) are rising Thursday after the company announced a multi-billion-dollar deal to buy WhiteWave Foods (WWAV). The Denver-based firm makes dairy alternatives such as Silk, So Delicious and Alpro.
The deal is worth about $12.5 billion, including debt. WhiteWave stock could surge at the open, as the takeover offer values its shares at a 19% premium to their closing price on Wednesday.
