BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Thursday, investors are mainly focusing on Jobless claims, Housing Starts Data and a set of corporate earnings. Jobless Claims is expected to increase from the prior period.
Earlier signs from the U.S. Futures Index point to a lower opening on Wall Street, while closed higher on the previous day.
Asian shares closed mixed, while European shares are trading in the red.
As of 7.45 am ET, the Dow futures were down 101.00 points, the S&P 500 futures were declining 10.50 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures were losing 23.25 points.
U.S. stocks ended positive on Thursday. The Dow climbed 141.57 points or 0.6 percent to 24,207.16, the Nasdaq rose 10.86 points or 0.2 percent to 7,034.69 and the S&P 500 edged up 5.80 points or 0.2 percent to 2,616.10.
On the economic front, Housing Starts Data for December will be published at 8.30 am ET. The consensus is for an increase of 1.256 million, unchanged from the prior month.
The Labor Department's Jobless Claims for the week will be released at 8.30 am ET The consensus is for a growth of 221K, up from 216K in the prior week.
The Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey for January is scheduled at 8.30 am ET. The consensus is for 10.0, up from 9.4 in the prior week.
The Energy Information Administration or EIA's Natural Gas Report for the week is expected at 10.30 am ET. The weekly change in the prior week was down 91 bcf.
Federal Reserve Board of Governors Vice Chairman for Supervision Randal Quarles will participate in a discussion about 'Insurance Regulation and Supervision' at the Insurance Information Institute 2019 Joint Industry Forum in New York, NY at 10.45 am ET.
10-year Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities or TIPS auction will be held at 1.00 pm ET.
Fed Balance for the week will be released at 4.30 pm ET. In the prior week, the level was $4.057 trillion.
Money Supply for the week will be revealed at 4.30 am ET. The M2 weekly change was $24.1 billion.
Asian stocks ended mixed on Thursday. Chinese stocks ended lower. Growth worries resurfaced after Premier Li Keqaing said the country is facing a challenging environment. The benchmark Shanghai Composite index fell 10.79 points or 0.42 percent to 2,559.64 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index ended down 0.54 percent at 26,755.63.
Japanese shares finished lower. The benchmark Nikkei slid 40.48 points or 0.20 percent to 20,402.27 while the broader Topix index closed 0.35 percent higher at 1,543.20.
Australian markets hit over two-month high. The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 14.90 points or 0.26 percent to 5,850.10, extending gains for the third straight session. The broader All Ordinaries index ended up 16.10 points or 0.27 percent at 5,909.80.
European shares are falling. France's CAC 40 is down 21.45 points or 0.47 percent. Germany's DAX is declining 49.47 points or 0.45 percent. FTSE 100 of U.K. is falling 38.69 points or 0.57 percent. Swiss Market Index is climbing 12.89 points or 0.15 percent.
Eurozone's leading Blue Chip index,Euro Stoxx 50, is declining 0.41 percent.
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