How are stock-index futures trading:
S&P 500 futures are down 0.2%.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures are off 0.2%.
Nasdaq 100 futures are barely changed.
On Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 234 points, or 0.6%, to 38,763, the S&P 500 declined 41 points, or 0.77%, to 5,200, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 171 points, or 1.05%, to 16,196.
Futures early Thursday indicate a cautious start to trading when the opening bell rings on Wall Street.
A mixed Asia session, which included a 0.7% fall for Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 as the Japanese yen strengthened again, and broad declines across European bourses are contributing to the tentative tone.
The CBOE VIX index, a gauge of expected S&P 500 volatility, remains near 28, still notably above its long run average of around 20.
“Volatility remains higher than average in markets and it is still unclear to what degree investors and traders need to change their portfolios,” said analysts at Saxo in a morning note.
“To get the next jolt in markets we need a big negative surprise on the economy and the initial jobless claims today could be exactly that macro report,” Saxo added.
Indeed, including the jobless claims, here are some potential market catalysts due Thursday for traders to consider:
8:30 a.m. Eastern. U.S. weekly initial jobless claims.
10:00 a.m. U.S. wholesale inventories for June.
1:00 p.m. Treasury will announce the results of a $25 billion auction of 30-year bonds.
1:00 p.m. Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin speaks at NABE event.
