MARKET COMMENTS Dec E-mini S&Ps (ESZ14 +0.02%) this morning are up +0.25 of a point (+0.01%). The S&P 500 index on Thursday posted a new record high and closed higher: S&P 500 +0.05%, Dow Jones +0.23%, Nasdaq +0.43%. Bullish factors included (1) positive Q3 stock earnings results after Wal-Mart, Cisco and Viacom all reported better-than-expected earnings, and (2) increased M&A activity after Berkshire Hathaway bought the Duracell battery business from Procter & Gamble and after Hasbro was said to be in talks to acquire DreamWorks Animation SKG. Stocks fell back from their best levels after (1) U.S. weekly jobless claims rose +12,000 to 290,000, a larger increase than expectations of +2,000 to 280,000, and (2) energy producers declined as the price of crude oil tumbled to a 4-year low. Dec 10-year T-notes (ZNZ14 -0.02%) this morning are down -0.5 of a tick. Dec 10-year T-note futures prices on Wednesday closed higher: TYZ4 +5.00, FVZ4 +3.50. Bullish factors included (1) the larger-than-expected increase in U.S. weekly initial unemployment claims, and (2) short-covering by bond dealers after the Treasury concluded this week’s $66 billion of Treasury auctions with the sale of $16 billion of 30-year T-bonds. The dollar index (DXY00 +0.35%) this morning is up +0.307 (+0.35%). EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is down -0.0031 (-0.25%). USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is up +0.66 (+0.57%) at a new 7-year high. The dollar index on Thursday closed lower. Closes: Dollar index -0.148 (-0.17%), EUR/USD +0.0038 (+0.03%), USD/JPY +0.28 (+0.24%). Bearish factors included (1) comments from New York Fed President Dudley who said that raising interest rates too early poses a bigger risk to the economy than acting too late, and (2) the larger-than-expected increase in U.S. weekly jobless claims. Dec WTI crude oil (CLZ14 +0.22%) this morning is up +14 cents (+0.19%) and Dec gasoline (RBZ14 +0.81%) is up +0.0166 (+0.83%). Dec crude and Dec gasoline on Thursday closed sharply lower with Dec crude and Dec gasoline at 4-year lows. Closes: CLZ4 -2.97 (-3.85%), RBZ4 -0.1054 (-5.00%). Bearish factors included (1) the +1.7 million bbl increase in crude inventories at Cushing, OK, the delivery point of WTI futures, to a 5-1/2 month high of 22.5 million bbl, and (2) the +1.0% increase in U.S. crude production in the week ended Nov 7 to 9.063 million bpd, the most in 40 years.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 13:09:59 +0000
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