|
 * Wal-Mart shares advanced 2.3 percent to $81.02 in premarket
trading after the retail giant posted a 2.9 percent increase in
third-quarter revenue.
* Weekly initial jobless claims data is due at 8:30 a.m. (1230 GMT).
Expectations call for claims to inch up to 280,000 versus 278,000 in
the prior week.
* The S&P 500 has rallied more than 9 percent from a six-month low
in October, buoyed by supportive economic data and corporate
earnings. For the year so far, it is up 10.3 percent.
* J.C. Penney <JCP.N> shares fell 7.4 percent to $7.19 in premarket
trading after it reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss
Wednesday but said same-store sales were flat and slightly cut its
full-year revenue forecast. The stock was the most actively traded
on the New York Stock Exchange in premarket with volume of over
950,000 shares, representing about 6 percent of its 10-day average.
* As earnings season winds down, Thomson Reuters data showed that of
453 companies in the S&P 500 to report, 74.8 percent beat
expectations, above the 63 percent average beat rate since 1994 and
67 percent for the past four quarters. Earnings overall were
expected to grow 10 percent over the year-ago period.
* DreamWorks Animation shares jumped 20.1 percent to $26.87 before
the opening bell after the New York Times cited sources as saying
toymaker Hasbro Inc was in talks to buy the Hollywood studio.
[to top of second column] |
* Berkshire Hathaway Inc BRKa.N said it would acquire Procter &
Gamble Co's PG.N Duracell battery business. Procter shares fell 1.2
percent to $88.40 before the opening bell while Berskhire's Class B
shares edged up 0.3 percent to $146.
* S&P 500 e-minis were up 1.5 points, or 0.07 percent, with 159,048
contracts changing hands.
* Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 7.5 points, or 0.18 percent, in volume
of 24,101 contracts.
* Dow e-minis were up 16 points, or 0.09 percent, with 25,573
contracts changing hands.
(Editing by Bernadette Baum)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
