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Stock markets look up Thursday after two days of losses.

But even though markets are taking a step forward, certain stocks are taking two steps back.

Here are 4 tips for today's trading. This will help you decide where you should invest and what to look for:

1. Stock market losers

Burberry, Netflix, Twitter: Shares in luxury retailer Burberry (BURBY) are dropping by about 12% in London after the British firm said it was having a tough time in China and noted an "increasingly challenging environment for luxury customers."

Netflix (NFLX, Tech30) stock is declining by about 4% premarket after the company reported sluggish U.S. growth in the third-quarter.

Shares in Twitter (TWTR, Tech30) could also take a dip Thursday as investors worry that CEO Jack Dorsey may be spreading himself too thin. Dorsey's other company, Square, announced plans for an initial public offering Wednesday. The mobile payments company will list shares in New York under the ticker symbol "SQ".

2. We all scream for ice cream

It turns out that ice cream was a lucrative business this summer.

Unilever (UL), which owns a range of well-known food and personal care brands, reported better-than-expected earnings and credited ice cream for driving sales.

"Ice cream delivered very strong growth helped by better weather than last year," the company said in a statement, noting that it encouraged consumers to buy fancy ice cream from the Ben & Jerry's and Magnum brands.

Shares are rising by about 3.5% in London.

3. Markets sparkle

Nearly all global stock markets are rising Thursday and U.S. stock futures are firmly in positive territory.

Gold prices are sparkling as they rise another 0.5% to trade around $1,185 per ounce. Prices haven't been at this level since June.

Meanwhile, oil prices are falling back by 1% to trade around $46.10 per barrel. 

4. Economics

Two important economic reports will come at 8:30 a.m. ET.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics will release its consumer price index for September, which shows national inflation levels. Inflation has been lagging behind the Federal Reserve's target of 2%.

And weekly jobless claims data will be released by the U.S. Department of Labor.

At 10:30 a.m., weekly data on natural gas inventories will come out, just before crude inventory data is released at 11 a.m.

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Earnings season started off slow, but now the quarterly reports are coming in strong and fast.

Here are 4 tips for today's trading. This will help you decide where you should invest and what to look for:

1. Earnings season

Several corporate giants including Wells Fargo (WFC), Bank of America (BAC), Delta (DAL) and BlackRock (BLK) will post earnings before the opening bell.

Netflix (NFLX, Tech30) is reporting after markets close this afternoon.

Shares in Intel (INTC, Tech30) and JP Morgan (JPM) look set to dip at the open after the firms reported earnings on Tuesday afternoon.

Intel reported that third quarter sales were essentially unchanged compared to the same period last year, and earnings declined by about 6%. But the results still beat Wall Street expectations.

Meanwhile, JP Morgan results showed revenue slipped by 6% as it was hit by a double whammy last quarter: the Federal Reserve kept interest rates low and chaos slammed the financial markets.

2. Market overview

U.S. stock futures are holding steady, while stock markets in Europe and Asia move into negative territory.

Mike van Dulken, head of research at Accendo Markets, said you can blame the negative market mood on China, which released weak inflation data.

The U.S. dollar is weakening a bit, while the Aussie dollar is pushing up versus all major global currencies.

Yields on 10-year government bonds are dipping around the world, except in Greece and Portugal where they are inching up.

Oil prices are steady around $46.70 per barrel, and gold is rising by about 0.7% to trade around $1,174 per ounce.

3. Stock market movers

SanDisk, Micron: SanDisk (SNDK) shares are rising by nearly 10% premarket after Bloomberg reported the chipmaker could be in merger talks with Micron (MU) and Western Digital. Micron's shares were also up 3% in extended trading.

4. Economics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics will post September's producer price index at 8:30 a.m. ET. Investors watch the index for clues about where inflation is headed.

The Census Bureau's monthly retail sales report also goes out at 8:30 a.m.

At 2 p.m., Wall Street will look for the Federal Reserve's latest "Beige Book." The report outlines regional economic conditions.

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It’s takeover Tuesday!

Investors are toasting a massive deal between the two biggest beer brewers in the world, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AHBIF) and SABMiller (SBMRY). It will be one of the biggest acquisitions in corporate history.

Here are 4 tips for today's trading. This will help you decide where you should invest and what to look for:

1. Merger mania

The company that makes the popular Budweiser beer -- AB InBev -- has agreed to buy its main rival SABMiller for £68 billion ($104 billion).

The combined firm will be the world's largest beermaker by far, with nine of the world's top 20 beers by volume.

Most SABMiller shareholders are being offered £44 ($67.59) per share in cash. Meanwhile, the two biggest shareholders -- Altria (MO) and Colombia's Santo Domingo family -- will have to accept cash and stock worth roughly £39.03 ($60) per share.

Shares in SABMiller shot up by about 8.5% in London trading, while AB InBev shares are rising by 2.5%.

Watch shares in smaller brewers on Tuesday. Molson Coors (TAP) shares could move on expectations that the company may pick up some beer brands that the new mega-group is forced to sell to get regulatory approval for the merger.

2. Stocks dip down

It looks like the Dow Jones Industrial Average's seven-day winning streak is about to come to an end.

U.S. stock futures are slipping into the red and there's a negative mood in stock markets around the world.

European markets are slipping in early trading, with many indexes down by about 1.5%.

Asian markets mostly ended with losses.

3. Market movers

FMC, Barclays: Shares in the chemical giant FMC Corp (FMC) plunged by nearly 10% in extended trading after announcing that the decline of the Brazilian real will hurt its performance in the second half of 2015.

Shares in Barclays (BCS) in London are falling by about 3% as newspapers report that Jes Staley, a former JPMorgan (JPM)banker, is set to take over as CEO of the British bank within the next two weeks. Barclays had been moving away from investment banking since the financial crisis. It declined to comment on the reports.

4. Quarterly earnings

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is among a handful of companies opening their books before the trading day begins.

After the close, firms including Intel (INTC, Tech30) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) will report results.

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Here are 4 tips for today's trading. This will help you decide where you should invest and what to look for:

1. Stock market mover

EMC: Shares in data storage firm EMC Corp (EMC) are rising by about 7% in extended trading based on reports saying Dell is set to announce it will take over the company, which is currently valued above $50 billion.

If the takeover happens, it would be the biggest tech deal ever, and among the top 40 M&A deals of all time.

2. Global markets overview

Stock markets around the world are middling right now. U.S. stock futures are trading around where they left off on Friday.

European markets are vacillating between minor gains and losses.

Asian markets mostly ended with gains. Chinese stock markets were standout stars as the Shanghai Composite jumped 3.3% and the volatile Shenzhen index surged 4.2%.

In Turkey, the main stock market and national currency are roughly stable after two deadly bomb blasts tore through crowds taking part in a peace rally in the capital over the weekend. At least 97 people died in the attack.

3. Weekly market recap

U.S. markets notched a good week. The Dow Jones industrial average rose by 3.7% over the past five trading days. The S&P 500 gained 3.3% and the Nasdaq jumped 2.6%.

4. Oil prices pushing up

West Texas Intermediate oil futures traded close to the highest level since July on Monday, amid indications U.S. oil drillers are cutting back on production following a collapse in prices over the summer.

Crude oil for delivery in November on the New York Mercantile Exchange tacked on 24 cents, or 0.48%, to trade at $49.87 a barrel during European morning hours.

There will be no floor trading on the Nymex on Monday because of the Columbus Day holiday in the U.S. All electronic transactions will be booked with Tuesday's trades for settlement.

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Oil prices are back above $50 per barrel and it looks like the Dow could extend a winning rally that began last week.

Here are 4 tips for today's trading. This will help you decide where you should invest and what to look for:

1. Market overview

U.S. stock futures are sitting around the levels where they closed on Thursday while global markets rally.

European markets are all up in early trading, boosted by mining and energy companies.

Germany's DAX index is rising 1% Friday.

Asian markets ended the session with gains.

Minutes from the September meeting of the Federal Reserve came out Thursday afternoon, revealing the Fed was worried about the impact of the slowing global economy when considering whether to raise interest rates.

These minutes pushed the dollar down and gave a boost to commodities.

Crude oil futures are now trading around $50.40 per share.

2. Stock market movers

Alcoa, Gap, Glencore: Shares in Alcoa (AA) look set to drop by 4% at the open after the company reported a disappointing set of earnings on Thursday evening.

Investors were unimpressed by a 5-week sales report from Gap (GPS) and shares are dipping by about 6% in extended trading.

The battered mining giant Glencore (GLCNF) announced Friday it will cut its zinc production by a third. The cutback will see the world's zinc output drop by 4%. Investors responded by bidding shares up by 8% in London. Glencore's shares have more than halved this year as investors worry about low commodity prices.

3. Listening to Lima

Hot shots from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have converged for a big annual meeting in Peru's capital city. Investors are paying very close attention.

"Sideline commentary from global policymakers ... may disrupt otherwise quiet consolidation into the end of the week," said Ilya Spivak, currency strategist at DailyFX.

On Thursday evening, the IMF's managing director Christine Lagarde called China's economic slowdown "healthy", saying it was the result of much-needed reforms.

The IMF had downgraded its world growth forecast earlier this week.

The meeting concludes Saturday.

4. Thursday market recap

Markets were up Thursday. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.8%, the S&P 500 climbed 0.9% and the Nasdaq added 0.4%.

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Thursday could be a very interesting day. There's a lot going on in the markets.

Here are 4 tips for today's trading. This will help you decide where you should invest and what to look for:

1. M&A on my mind

Two powerful Chinese Internet startups -- essentially the Yelp and Groupon of China -- have joined forces in a deal that is reported to be worth $15 billion.

The firms -- Meituan and Dianping -- said Thursday that they would jointly establish a new company. Meituan and Dianping are backed by tech giants Alibaba (BABA, Tech30) and Tencent (TCEHY).

In the U.S., Dell and data-storage firm EMC (EMC) are reportedly in discussions about a business combination. Shares in EMC surged by about 8% in extended trading after the merger chatter began.

And in Europe, investors are still waiting for more news on whether AB InBev (BUD) and SABMiller (SBMRY) will merge.

2. Market overview

U.S. stock futures are sinking and the overall market mood is muted.

European markets are mixed in early trading. Asian markets also ended with mixed results.

In China, stock markets reopened after an extended holiday and the key indexes rose by 3% to 4%.

"The Chinese equity market re-opened and bounced, but not as much as some hoped," noted Kit Juckes, a global strategist at Societe Generale.

3. Market movers

Deutsche Bank, Fiat Chrysler: Shares in Deutsche Bank (DB) are swinging wildly between losses and gains in Germany after the bank revealed it will book a nearly $7 billion loss in the third quarter for a write down related to its corporate banking unit.

Shares in Fiat Chrysler (FCAU) are rallying by about 4% in Europe after the United Auto Workers union said it reached a tentative agreement with the automaker. This could avert a strike by 40,000 workers.

4. Earnings and economics

Domino's Pizza (DPUKY) will report quarterly earnings before the opening bell. Then after markets close, investors will hear from Alcoa (AA) and Ruby Tuesday (RT).

On the economic front, the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee will post the minutes from its September meeting at 2 p.m. ET. Investors will parse through these notes for more information about the Fed's plans for a future rate hike.

In Germany, there was some disconcerting data showing a 5% slump in exports between August and July. That's the biggest monthly decline in exports since January 2009. It's also worth noting that this is before the Volkswagen scandal emerged in September.

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