The U.S. Dollar Index is trading at 97.64 up with  +0.03% percent or +0.03 point. The Dow Futures is trading at 26,393.00 up with +3.00 percent or +55.70 point. The S&P 500 Futures is trading at 2,927.25  up with +0.15% percent or +4.25 point.  The Nasdaq Futures is trading at 7,773.25 up with +0.22% percent or +16.75 point.

TODAY’S FACTORS AND EVENTS

The dollar resumed its decline on Thursday, shrugging off Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s relatively confident comments on the U.S. economy as survey figures suggested fears of a broadening economic weakness in Europe could be exaggerated.

The single currency popped a fifth of a percent higher after German retail sales contracted by less than expected while a swathe of PMI surveys from Germany to Spain was broadly within expectations.

PREVIOUS DAY ACTIVITY

For the day the Dow is trading at 26,430.14 with a loss of -0.61% percent or -162.77 point. The S&P 500 is trading at 2,923.73 with a loss of -0.75% percent or -22.10 point. The Nasdaq Composite is trading at 8,049.64  wilth  a loss of -0.57% percent or -45.75 point.

WORLD MARKETS

Other leading market index closes included the small-cap Russell 2000 Index closed at 1,576.38 with a loss of –0.93% percent or –14.83 point; the S&P 600 Small-Cap Index closed at 966.76 with a loss of -0.85% percent or -8.30 point; the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index closed at 1,948.87 with a loss of -1.11% percent or -21.87 point; the S&P 100 Index closed at 1,297.69  with a loss of -0.58% percent or -7.51 point; the Russell 3000 Index closed at 1,722.23  with a loss of -0.77% percent or -13.38 point; the Russell 1000 Index closed at 1,619.49   with a loss of -0.76% or -12.38 point.