Morning Watchlist: Eco Data Closes Out the Week
2 min read
Equity futures are slightly higher this morning after modest gains on Thursday. Ukrainian and Russian officials have reportedly arrived at talks, adding to hopes for geopolitical stability. The market awaits word of more trade deals. With earnings light, investors will be watching Housing Starts & Permits and Consumer Sentiment reports as we start to get a look at the tariff impacts so far.
Snapshot (as of 7 AM ET)
- Oil (/CL) – Oil prices are up slightly near $61 a barrel. Crude is consolidating under increased supply pressure from an OPEC+ output hike and the prospect of an Iranian nuclear deal, yet is heading for a second consecutive weekly gain due to easing U.S.-China trade tensions.
- Gold (/GC) – Gold prices are down 2% near $3160 in the premarket. Gold prices are down over 4% this week as the dollar has firmed and traders soften their safety plays on the back of rising stocks.
- Bitcoin (/BTC) – The crypto future is up 0.5% near $104K in the premarket.
- VIX – The CBOE Volatility Index was down 4.2% on Thursday and settled at 17.83 as stocks were higher. It was the lowest closing price for the VIX since March 25th. It is down another 2% this morning.
- U.S. Dollar (/DX) – The dollar is flat around 100.7.
Biggest Premarket Movers (Mark % Change as of 7 AM ET)
- Charter Communications (CHTR): +7.25%
- Vistra (VST): +4.89%
- Estee Lauder (EL): +4.05%
- Applied Materials (AMAT): -5.30%
- Take-Two Interactive (TTWO): -1.48%
- Newmont (NEM): -1.34%
Economic Data
- 8:30AM ET: Housing Starts & Permits, Import/Export Prices
- 10:00AM ET: Consumer Sentiment
Notable Earnings
- Premarket: FLO
- Postmarket: None
- Premarket Monday: ZIM
- Postmarket Monday: EGHT, QFIN, TCOM
Upgrades/Downgrades
- UBS upgrades Caterpillar (CAT) to Neutral from Sell
- HSBC upgrades Carnival (CCL) to Hold from Reduce
- BNP Paribas Exane upgrades Seagate (STX) to Neutral from Underperform
- Gordon Haskett downgrades Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS) to Reduce from Buy
