The U.S. Dollar Index is trading at 97.17  witha loss of -97.17 percent or -0.04 point. The Dow Futures is trading at 25,582.00 up with +0.37% percent or +94.00 point. The S&P 500 Futures is trading at 2,757.38 up with +0.29%percent or +8.38 point.  The Nasdaq Futures is trading at 7,043.12 up with +0.38% percent or ++26.87 point.

TODAY’S FACTORS AND EVENTS

The euro held above a three-month low on Thursday as improved Chinese trade data and hopes of progress in China-U.S. trade talks lifted risk sentiment, with the Australian dollar leading gains by more than half a percent.

Even economic data showing Germany’s economy stalled in the fourth quarter of 2018 failed to pull the euro lower. Traders said the nearly 2 percent drop by the euro in the first six weeks of the year may have been overdone.

PREVIOUS DAY ACTIVITY

For the day the Dow is trading at 25,543.27 up with +0.46% percent or +117.51 point. The S&P 500 is trading at 2,753.03 up with +0.30% percent or +8.30 point. The Nasdaq Composite is trading at 7,420.38 up with +0.078% percent or +5.76 point

WORLD MARKETS

In other parts of world, Japan’s Nikkei 225 is trading at 21,139.71 with a loss of –0.023% percent or –4.77 point. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng is trading at 28,432.05  with a loss of  –0.23% percent or –65.54 point. China’s Shanghai Composite is trading at 2,719.70  with a loss of -0.050% percent or –1.37 point. India’s BSE Sensex is trading at 35,876.22 with a loss of –0.44% percent or –157.89 point at 12:15 PM.