All three major U.S. benchmarks are set for weekly losses
U.S. stock futures are signaling a cautious open, as traders watch mixed reports surrounding the White House. In the same week he fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, President Donald Trump is supposedly considering removing National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster -- though a tweet from Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders suggested that wasn't the case -- while other reports speculate White House Chief of Staff John Kelly could resign, as well. Elsewhere, a busy day for economic data kicked off with a larger-than-forecast drop in housing starts in February, while a positive earnings reaction for Adobe (ADBE) could provide a lift for tech stocks. Still, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI), S&P 500 Index (SPX), and Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) are all pacing for weekly losses.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
4 Asian ETFs options traders are targeting. How Seagate options bulls won big. Buy the dip on these industrial stocks. Plus, analysts react to Adobe's beat; Ulta tests chart support again; and Overstock sinks.
Wall Street will react to industrial production data, the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index, and the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). Hibbett Sports (HIBB) and Tiffany (TIF) will unveil their quarterly results. Next week the attention turns to the March Fed meeting.
Asian markets ended mostly lower today, with traders losing their risk appetite amid rising U.S. political and policy uncertainty. A safe-haven boost for the yen pushed Japan's Nikkei to a loss of 0.6%, led by automakers and other key exporters. China's Shanghai Composite finished 0.6% lower, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gave back 0.1%. South Korea's Kospi bucked the regional trend and edged out a 0.06% advance, propped up by a late-session boost from foreign buyers.
In Europe, stocks are looking up at midday, but gains have been limited by overarching geopolitical concerns and trade war tensions. Financial stocks are pulling their weight, with Britain's NEX Group vaulting more than 30% higher after it was approached by CME Group for a possible takeover. London's FTSE 100 is up 0.1% at last check. The French CAC 40 is fractionally higher as well, thanks to a 4.7% rally from oil company Rubis, while the German DAX has managed a 0.1% lead following a technical glitch that delayed the start of trading by 40 minutes.