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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:

There's a lot of positive momentum in the markets this morning.

1) Up, up, up

It looks like stock markets around the world might close out the week with some healthy gains.

U.S. stock futures are rising by about 1%.

Many European markets are climbing by about 1% to 2% in early trading. The French CAC 40 index is leading the way, up 2.3%.

Nearly all Asian markets ended the day in positive territory as concerns about Chinese markets subsided.

Both the Shanghai Composite and the Shenzhen index closed with gains of 4.5% and 4.1%, respectively. But this follows gut-wrenching volatility that saw both markets shoot up and then crash in the course of a few months.

2) Greece offers hope?

Investors are keeping a very close eye on Greece.

The markets are hopeful that Greece and its European lenders will reach a deal in the next few days, paving the way for a third huge bailout for the country. But if a deal can't be reached, Greece will effectively be kicked out of the eurozone and be forced to issue its own currency.

Ultimately, Greece wants more money from its European lenders, on top of the 240 billion euros ($267 billion) it received in bailout funds since 2010.

On Friday, Greek lawmakers are voting on proposals to reform the nation's economy. If this doesn't go well, markets will react harshly. If they're approved, those proposals will be sent to European lenders, who will consider them at meetings over the weekend.

"There are, of course, twists and turns to be negotiated before a deal is reached on Sunday but Mr. Market assumes that this deal flies (for now)," said Kit Juckes, a market strategist at Societe Generale.

3) Optimism about Iran deal fading

Crude oil futures are getting some support Friday morning as it seems less likely that world powers will reach a nuclear deal with Iran.

Commodity traders have been closely monitoring the Iran negotiations. A deal would mean that tough sanctions against the oil-rich country will be lifted and Iran would begin exporting more oil.

The threat of further oil supplies from Iran has depressed crude prices. Oil had been trading below $51 a barrel earlier this week.

Currently, oil futures are trading around $53 per barrel.

4. Thursday market recap:

The Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 were both up 0.2%, and the Nasdaq added 0.3% on Thursday.

The slight gains Thursday did not mark a full recovery from setbacks on Wednesday when a technical glitch caused the New York Stock Exchange to shut down for nearly four hours and frightened traders.

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What is it? Fed Chair Feb 2014 - Feb 2018. Fed Governor Oct 2010 - Jan 2024. Volatility is often experienced during her speeches as traders attempt to decipher interest rate clues. As head of the central bank, which controls short term interest rates, she has more influence over the nation's currency value than any other person. Traders scrutinize her public engagements as they are often used to drop subtle clues regarding future monetary policy.

When? At 12:30pm Eastern Time.

Trading Tip: If the announcement will hint towards higher interest rates, you can expect the EUR to rise.

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What is it? Although it's generally viewed as a lagging indicator, the number of unemployed people is an important signal of overall economic health because consumer spending is highly correlated with labor-market conditions.

When? At 08:30am Eastern Time.

Trading Tip: If the actual number is higher than the forecast, you can expect the CAD to rise.

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What is it? This is vital economic data released shortly after the month ends. The combination of importance and earliness makes for hefty market impacts. Job creation is an important leading indicator of consumer spending, which accounts for a majority of overall economic activity.

When? At 08:30am Eastern Time.

Trading Tip: If the actual number is higher than the forecast, you can expect the CAD to rise.

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1. The dollar remained broadly higher against a basket of other major currencies on Thursday, even after data showed that U.S. jobless claims rose to their highest level since February last week as markets were jittery ahead of fresh reform proposals from Greece.

The U.S. Department of Labor reported on Thursday that the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending July 4 increased by 15,000 to 297,000 from the previous week’s total of 282,000. Analysts had expected initial jobless claims to fall by 7,000 to 275,000 last week.

2. U.S. stocks were sharply higher at the open on Thursday as trading returned to normal at the New York Stock Exchange, a day after the exchange suspended operations for almost four hours due to a technical glitch.

All 10 major S&P 500 sectors rose as Beijing's efforts to halt a rout in Chinese stocks finally bore fruit and the U.S. Federal Reserve's June meeting minutes indicated that a rate hike might be pushed back.

U.S. stocks had fallen sharply on Wednesday as market turmoil in China, a rout in commodity prices, the Greek crisis and a major outage on the New York Stock Exchange spooked investors.

3. Natural gas futures extended losses to hit a four-week low on Thursday, after data showed that U.S. natural gas supplies rose more than expected last week.

Natural gas for delivery in August hit a session low of $2.648 per million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the weakest level since June 8, before trading at $2.652 during U.S. morning hours, down 3.4 cents, or 1.25%. Prices were at around $2.689 prior to the release of the supply data.

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