U.S. Market Futures Pointing Higher with Positive Outlook

U.S. stock futures are pointing higher in pre-market trading for Thursday, September 1. The Dow Futures are at 18433.0 for a gain of 38.00 points. The S&P 500 Futures are at 2173.25 for a gain of 3.75 points. The Nasdaq Futures are at 4787.25 for a gain of 13.50 points. The Russell Futures are at 1243.9 for a gain of 5.10 points.

In overnight trading in the Eastern Hemisphere, Japan’s Nikkei 225 is at 16926.84 for a gain of 39.44 points or 0.23 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index is at 23162.34 for a gain of 185.46 points or 0.81 percent. China’s Shanghai Composite is at 3063.31 for a loss of -22.19 points or -0.72 percent. India’s S&P BSE Sensex is at 28423.48 for a loss of -28.69 points or -0.10 percent. In Europe, the FTSE 100 is at 6786.09 for a gain of 4.58 points or 0.07 percent. Germany’s DAX is at 10647.11 for a gain of 54.42 points or 0.51 percent. France’s CAC 40 is at 4483.50 for a gain of 45.28 points or 1.02 percent. The Stoxx Europe 600 is at 346.52 for a gain of 2.99 points or 0.87 percent.

Thursday’s Factors and Events

On Thursday there are a number of reports on the economic calendar. Motor vehicle sales will be reported on Thursday. Thursday’s reports also include Chain Store Sales, Jobless Claims, Productivity and Costs, the PMI Manufacturing Index, the ISM Mfg Index, Construction Spending, the Fed Balance Sheet and the Money Supply.

The market is likely to regain some ground on Thursday as futures point higher. The positive ADP report yesterday on employment is increasing confidence in the economy’s growth. Investors will be watching manufacturing as the data from September begins to be reported. Trading will likely be light Thursday as investors await Friday’s employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Earnings for the second quarter have primarily wrapped up. Stocks trading actively in the pre-market include the following:

H & R Block

Brown-Forman Corp.

Under Armour

Hess Corp.

Marathon Oil

McCormick & Company

BorgWarner Inc.

Synchrony Financial

Lockheed Martin

Aetna

Wednesday’s Activity

Stocks were lower Wednesday. For the day the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 18400.88 for a loss of -53.42 points or -0.29 percent. The S&P 500 was also down, closing at 2170.95 for a loss of -5.17 points or -0.24 percent. The Nasdaq Composite closed lower at 5213.22 for a loss of -9.77 points or -0.19 percent.

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Source: DJIA, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite. Google Finance.

Other notable index closes included the small-cap Russell 2000 Index, lower at 1239.91 for a loss of -6.12 points or -0.49 percent; the S&P 600 Small-Cap Index, lower at 753.07 for a loss of -3.39 points or -0.45 percent; the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index lower at 1564.76 for a loss of -5.30 points or -0.34 percent; the S&P 100 Index at 960.08 for a loss of -1.70 points or -0.18 percent; the Russell 3000 Index at 1284.48 for a loss of -3.30 points or -0.26 percent; the Russell 1000 Index at 1203.05 for a loss of -2.85 points or -0.24 percent; and the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index at 614.81 for a loss of -0.62 points or -0.10 percent.