Jobless claims and New Home Sales report are the much awaited economic reports on Thursday. The investors are waiting for President Trump's speech and interactions at Davos, in view of the boycott move by some African countries.
Asian shares closed broadly down, while European shares are trading higher.
Earlier signs form the U.S. Futures Index suggest that Wall Street might open higher, despite the concern on protectionist meaures by the Trump administration.
As of 6.30 am ET, the Dow futures were adding 42 points, the S&P 500 futures were up 5.75 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures were gaining 32.25 points.
U.S. stocks turned mixed on Wednesday. The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 pulled back into negative territory, the Dow reached a new record closing high. The Dow rose 41.31 points or 0.2 percent to 26,252.12, while the Nasdaq slid 45.23 points or 0.6 percent to 7,415.06 and the S&P 500 edged down 1.59 points or 0.1 percent to 2,837.54.
On the economic front, the Labor Department's Jobless Claims for the week will be issued at 8.30 am ET. The economic analysts are looking for consensus of 240K, up from 220K in the prior week.
The New Home Sales data, that would give a picture of the demand for housing and economic momentum, is expected at 10.00 am ET. The consensus is for 680 K, down from 733 K in the prior week.
The Conference Board's 10 Leading Indicators for December, such as building permits, new factory orders, and unemployment claims, will be released at 10.00 am ET. The consensus is for growth of 0.5 percent, up from 0.4 percent in the prior week.
The Energy Information Administration or EIA's Natural Gas Report for the week will be issued at 10.30 am ET. The level was down 183 bcf in the prior week.
The seven-year Treasury Note auction is scheduled at 1.00 pm ET.
The Fed Balance Sheet for the week will be revealed at 4.30 pm ET. The previous week level was $4.439 trillion.
The Fed Money Supply for the week will be published at 4.30 pm ET. The M2 weekly change was $20.5 billion.
In the corporate segment, STMicroelectronics NV (STM), a semiconductor company, reported a fourth-quarter profit that more than doubled from last year. Quarterly net revenues increased 32.6 percent. Both adjusted earnings per share and quarterly revenues topped analysts' expectations. The company expects first quarter 2018 revenues to decrease about 10 percent on a sequential basis. Carlo Ferro, Chief Financial Officer and President Finance, Legal, Infrastructure and Services, has informed the Company about his intention to step down from his position at the same time as ST President and CEO Carlo Bozotti's retirement.
Asian stocks fell broadly on Thursday. Chinese shares fell from two-year highs. The benchmark Shanghai Composite index dropped 0.31 percent to snap a seven-session winning streak, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index finished down 304.24 points or 0.92 percent at 32,654.45.
Japanese shares fell to their lowest level in nearly two weeks. The Nikkei average ended 271.29 points or 1.13 percent lower at 23,669.49, the lowest level since Jan. 12. The broader Topix index closed 0.88 percent lower at 1,884.56.
Australian shares finished marginally lower. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index slid 4.70 points to end at 6,050.
European shares are trading higher. Among the major indexes in the region, the CAC 40 Index of France is up 27.51 points or 0.50 percent, the German DAX is gaining 3.66 points or 0.03 percent, the U.K. FTSE 100 Index is adding 2.05 points or 0.03 percent and the Swiss Market Index is progressing 0.58 points or 0.01 percent.
The Euro Stoxx 50 Index, which is a compilation of 50 blue chip stocks across the euro area, is down 0.79 percent.
by RTT Staff Writer
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