Futures Rise on Earnings, German Sentiment
U.S. equity futures rose in pre-market trading following
continued strong earnings and a better than expected report on
German business confidence. The IFO Business Climate Index rose to
104.2 in January from 102.4 in December, better than economists
forecasts of 103. Further, the Expectations Index released
alongside the main index, a measure of the outlook of business
leaders in the near term, rose to 100.5 from 98 in December,
besting estimates of 99.
Top News
In other news around the markets:
ECB President Mario Draghi spoke at the World Economic Forum,
saying that the LTRO's and OMT helped to save the euro, that the
second half of this year should see accelerating economic momentum,
that the OMT will remain in place as long as needed, and that
pan-European deposit guarantees are some way out. The Bank of Japan
released its latest policy meeting minutes, revealing that the BoJ
is taking on aggressive easing, that it is not appropriate to be
pessimistic on Japanese growth prospects, that the BoJ will act
independently of the government, and that beating deflation, not
devaluation, is its biggest task. Thursday, German Prime Minister
Angela Merkel became the latest leader to criticize Japan's
currency policies, following central bankers such as the
Bundesbank's Jens Weidmann and the Fed's James Bullard questioning
the politicization of the exchange rate. S&P 500 futures rose
3.5 points to 1,495.30. The EUR/USD was was higher at 1.3432.
Spanish 10-year government bond yields rose sharply to 5.163
percent. Italian 10-year government bond yields fell to 4.087
percent. Gold fell 0.07 percent to $1,668.80 per ounce.
Asian Markets
Asian shares were mixed overnight led by significant strength in
Japan following the release of the Bank of Japan minutes. The
Japanese Nikkei Index rose a monstrous 2.88 percent and is up 8.4
percent in the past month while the Shanghai Composite Index fell
0.49 percent and the Hang Seng Index fell 0.08 percent. Also, the
Korean Kospi declined 0.91 percent and Australian shares rose 0.52
percent on hopes that the RBA will cut rates at its next
meeting.
European Markets
European shares were stronger overnight on the back of the
strong IFO survey despite British GDP in the fourth quarter missing
estimates. The Spanish Ibex Index rose 0.66 percent despite a
strong move higher in bond yields and the Italian MIB Index gained
0.53 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX rose 1.09 percent and the
French CAC rose 0.74 percent while U.K. shares rose 0.19
percent.
Commodities
Commodities were mixed overnight with oil rising and copper
futures rallying nicely. WTI Crude futures rose 0.39 percent to
$96.32 per barrel and Brent Crude futures rose 0.1 percent to
$113.42 per barrel. Copper futures rose 0.45 percent to $369.30 on
hopes of an RBA rate cut. Gold was lower and silver futures were
flat at $31.73 per ounce.
Currencies
Currency markets saw euro strength and yen weakness in overnight
trading following the BoJ minutes and the IFO survey release. The
EUR/USD was higher at 1.3426 and the dollar rose against the yen to
90.85 but was capped by reports of a large option barrier near
91.75. Overall, the Dollar Index fell 0.16 percent on weakness
against the euro and the Swiss franc despite strength against the
pound, the yen, and the Canadian dollar. Also, the AUD/USD traded
like a roller coaster over the past 48 hours or so as the pair
popped on Chinese Manufacturing Data above 1.05 only to retreat
lower on increased hopes that the RBA will cut rates.
Pre-Market Movers
Stocks moving in the pre-market included:
Starbucks (NASDAQ:
SBUX
) shares rose 2.35 percent pre-market as the company reported
stronger than expected earnings. Microsoft (NASDAQ:
MSFT
) shares fell 1.38 percent pre-market despite reporting earnings
that beat estimates. Nokia (NYSE:
NOK
) shares fell 0.94 percent after declining over 8 percent Thursday
following the company's earnings release as the company suspended
its dividend to preserve cash. Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:
BRK-A)(NYSE: BRK-B) shares rose 0.3 percent pre-market as the stock
closed in on its 52-week high at $97.73.
Earnings
Notable companies expected to report earnings Friday
include:
Halliburton (NYSE:
HAL
) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $0.61 vs. $1.00 a
year ago. Honeywell (NYSE:
HON
) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $1.09 vs. $1.05 a
year ago. Proctor and Gamble (NYSE:
PG
) is expected to report second quarter EPS of $1.11 vs. $1.10 a
year ago. Weyerhaeuser (NYSE:
WY
) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $0.20 vs. $0.14 a
year ago. Kimberly Clark (NYSE:
KMB
) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $1.35 vs. $1.28 a
year ago.
Economics
On the economics calendar Friday, New Home Sales are the only
relevant piece of data on the calendar ahead of the ECRI weekly
index. In addition, Canadian CPI data is due out.
Good luck and good trading.
(c) 2013 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment
advice. All rights reserved.
Gain access to more investing ideas, tools & education.
Get Started on Marketfy, the first ever curated
& verified Marketplace for everything trading.