By Victor Reklaitis and Carla Mozee, MarketWatch
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures pointed to a lower
open Thursday, as investors weighed a weaker-than-expected reading
on durable-goods orders.
The market also got an encouraging economic report before the
bell, as a rise in weekly jobless claims was less than
anticipated.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJZ4) were last
down 33 points, or 0.2%, to 17,106, while those for the S&P 500
index (SPZ4) shed 5 points, or 0.3%, to 1,986. Futures for the
Nasdaq 100 (NDZ4) lost 12.75 points, or 0.3%, to 4,075. (Read more
in Need to Know:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-counter-intuitive-collapse-in-oil-could-see-prices-drop-to-70-a-barrel-or-even-40-2014-09-25.)
In addition to economic data, Atlanta Fed President Dennis
Lockhart will speak later Thursday in what's been a public
appearance blitz for Fed members over the past few days.
Looking ahead to Thursdays trading, the market seems poised to
give back some of the prior day's advance. On Wednesday, investors
were encouraged by dovish remarks by Chicago Federal Reserve
President Charles Evans and Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester.
The S&P 500 (SPX) and Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI)logged
their best one-day percentage gain in more than five weeks, with
stocks also finding support in a stronger-than-expected report on
new-home sales.
Mixed economic readings: Orders for durable U.S. goods plunged
by a record 18.2% in August after a record 22.5% gain in July,
mainly because of volatile demand for airplanes. Economists
surveyed by MarketWatch had expected orders to fall by 17.3%.
Meanwhile, the number of people who applied for unemployment
benefits last week rose by 12,000 to 293,000, but initial claims
continue to hover near an eight-year bottom amid a low rate of
layoffs, new government data showed. Economists surveyed by
MarketWatch had expected claims to rise to 300,000.
Lockhart's speech on the economic outlook to the Mississippi
Council for Economic Education is expected at 1:20 p.m. Eastern.
Lockhart is a voting member of the Fed policy committee this
year.
Stocks to watch: Jabil Circuit (JBL) shares rose 4% premarket
after the electronics manufacturer's quarterly results and outlook
topped Wall Street estimates late Wednesday.
Apple (AAPL) shares were down 1.1% premarket. The company on
Wednesday said it pulled an update to its iOS 8 operating system
following reports of major problems for users.
Boston Scientific (BSX) was hit with a $308 million judgment in
a royalty dispute, the medical device maker announced on Wednesday.
Shares shed 0.7% premarket.
H.B. Fuller (FUL) slid 16.5% premarket after the paint,
chemicals and adhesives company's third-quarter earnings missed
expectations late Wednesday.
Other markets: Japan's Nikkei Average surged 1.3% as the yen
weakened. Meanwhile, the euro (EURUSD) was at its lowest level
since 2012 against the dollar following European Central Bank
President Mario Draghi said the bank stands ready to launch more
stimulus measures to boost growth.
European stocks mostly rose after Draghi's comments Gold
futures(GCZ4) fell, while oil futures(CLX4) gained.
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