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 * Markets have had a bruising week so far as equities tracked oil
prices. Brent futures are down more than 6 percent this week and
having dipped below $40 per barrel there are renewed expectations it
might test 2008's low.
* U.S. stocks closed lower on Wednesday in a choppy session as oil
resumed its decline, fuelling investor worries about global economic
growth.
* Data expected on Thursday include weekly jobless claims at 8:30
a.m. ET (1330 GMT) that are expected to remain unchanged at 269,000
as the labor market approaches full employment and there is little
room for further declines.
* Separately, import and export prices are expected to have dropped
0.7 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively, in November.
* The Treasury Department is likely to post a budget deficit of $68
billion in November, compared to a gap of $136 billion in the
previous month. That data is expected at 2:00 p.m. ET.
* Investors will be keeping an eye on the data and movements in the
oil market just ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's meeting on Dec.
15-16. The Fed is widely expected to raise rates for the first time
in nearly a decade next week.
* Men's Wearhouse <MW.N> shares slumped 19.2 percent to $15.00 in
premarket trading, a day after the men's apparel retailer warned it
may miss lower end of its forecast.
* First Solar <FSLR.O> was down 9.8 percent at $53.10 after the
solar company's 2016 forecast came in below analysts' expectations.
[to top of second column] |
Futures snapshot at 7:00 a.m. ET:
* S&P 500 e-minis <ESc1> were up 6.25 points, or 0.31 percent, with
144,518 contracts traded.
* Nasdaq 100 e-minis <NQc1> were up 13 points, or 0.28 percent, on
volume of 21,043 contracts.
* Dow e-minis <1YMc1> were up 42 points, or 0.24 percent, with
17,675 contracts changing hands.
(Reporting by Tanya Agrawal; Editing by Anil D'Silva
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