The U.S. Dollar Index is trading at 96.86 with a loss of -0.31% percent or -0.30 point. The Dow Futures is trading at 26,296.00 up with +0.62% percent or +163.00 point. The S&P 500 Futures is trading at 2,904.12 up with +0.43% percent or +12.37 point. The Nasdaq Futures is trading at 7,647.75 up with +0.40% percent or +30.50 point.
TODAY’S FACTORS AND EVENTS
The euro gained on Friday in a move dealers said may have be driven by anticipated currency demand arising from a Japanese bank’s plans to purchase a German multi-billion dollar aviation finance business.
The jump in the common currency occurred late in Friday’s Asia session and saw the euro rise to a 2-1/2-week high.
Markets are often quiet in the hours before European trade opens and thin liquidity has in recent months caused sudden jolts or “flash crashes” in major currencies including the Swiss franc.
But the heavily-traded euro-dollar currency pair, with a daily turnover of over $1 trillion, has recently traded in a narrow range at a time when volatility in foreign exchange markets is at a multi-year low, said Elisabeth Andreae, an FX strategist at Commerzbank.
PREVIOUS DAY ACTIVITY
For the day the Dow is trading at 26,143.05 with a loss of -0.054% percent or –14.11 point. The S&P 500 is trading at 2,888.32 up with +0.0038% percent or +0.11 point. The Nasdaq Composite is trading at 7,947.36 with a loss of -0.21% percent or -16.88 point.
WORLD MARKETS
Other leading market index closes included the small-cap Russell 2000 Index closed at 1,579.14 with a loss of -0.15% percent or -2.41 point; the S&P 600 Small-Cap Index closed at 965.77 with a loss of -0.17% percent or -1.67 point; the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index closed at 965.77 with a loss of -0.17% percent or –1.67 point; the S&P 100 Index closed at 1,273.18 with a loss of -0.048% percent or -0.61 point; the Russell 3000 Index closed at 1,704.43 with a loss of -0.0092% percent or -0.16 point; the Russell 1000 Index closed at 1,601.27 up with +0.022% or +0.35 point.