Employment, trade, inflation and personal computers will all make for a crowded U.S. stock market agenda when trading begins Thursday.
At 5:20 a.m. ET, futures pointed to a mixed start for the major indexes.
The employment report that's awaited is the weekly initial jobless claims, which has been below the 400,000 benchmark that signals economic weakness for the past three weeks. Economists think it will be four in a row after the before-the-bell report; the Briefing.com consensus calls for a 3,000 rise to 393,000 for the week ended Aug. 9.
The nation's trade deficit is expected to have edged up to $42 billion in June from $41.8 billion in May. And the July producer price index, a measure of inflation at the wholesale level, is seen remaining well tamed at 0.1 percent, far below the 0.5 percent reported in June; excluding food and energy, costs are also seen up 0.1 percent.
Late in the trading day, the Federal Reserve releases the minutes from its late June meeting at which interest rates were cut a quarter percentage point to the lowest level since the late 1950s. On Tuesday, the Fed kept rates intact, saying it saw signs of economic recovery.
Dell Computer reports fiscal second-quarter earnings after the closing bell. The PC maker is expected to post a profit of 24 cents a share, up from 19 cents a year earlier, according to a consensus of analysts surveyed by First Call. Dell's conference call will be watched for indications that the company's strength in an uncertain economy remains intact.
Among the retailers reporting July-quarter results Thursday are Target (TGT: Research, Estimates) before trading begins and Kohl's (KSS: Research, Estimates) after the close.
The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 0.4 percent Wednesday amid concern about rising Treasury yields. The Nasdaq composite index was virtually unchanged. (see chart for details)
Asian-Pacific stocks finished mostly higher Thursday, with Tokyo's Nikkei up 1.7 percent in its fifth straight advance. European markets were mixed in the early going. (Check the latest on world markets)
Among U.S. stocks trading in Europe, Nextel Communications (NXTL: Research, Estimates) was down nearly 3 percent. Rival Verizon Wireless said it will unveil a new walkie-talkie phone service similar to Nextel's.
Treasury prices recovered some of Wednesday's decline, sending the 10-year note yield down to 4.55 percent from 4.56 percent late Wednesday. The dollar gained against the yen and euro.
Brent oil futures pulled back 22 cents to $28.87 a barrel in London, where gold topped $360 an ounce in early trading
At 5:20 a.m. ET, futures pointed to a mixed start for the major indexes.
The employment report that's awaited is the weekly initial jobless claims, which has been below the 400,000 benchmark that signals economic weakness for the past three weeks. Economists think it will be four in a row after the before-the-bell report; the Briefing.com consensus calls for a 3,000 rise to 393,000 for the week ended Aug. 9.
The nation's trade deficit is expected to have edged up to $42 billion in June from $41.8 billion in May. And the July producer price index, a measure of inflation at the wholesale level, is seen remaining well tamed at 0.1 percent, far below the 0.5 percent reported in June; excluding food and energy, costs are also seen up 0.1 percent.
Late in the trading day, the Federal Reserve releases the minutes from its late June meeting at which interest rates were cut a quarter percentage point to the lowest level since the late 1950s. On Tuesday, the Fed kept rates intact, saying it saw signs of economic recovery.
Dell Computer reports fiscal second-quarter earnings after the closing bell. The PC maker is expected to post a profit of 24 cents a share, up from 19 cents a year earlier, according to a consensus of analysts surveyed by First Call. Dell's conference call will be watched for indications that the company's strength in an uncertain economy remains intact.
Among the retailers reporting July-quarter results Thursday are Target (TGT: Research, Estimates) before trading begins and Kohl's (KSS: Research, Estimates) after the close.
The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 0.4 percent Wednesday amid concern about rising Treasury yields. The Nasdaq composite index was virtually unchanged. (see chart for details)
Asian-Pacific stocks finished mostly higher Thursday, with Tokyo's Nikkei up 1.7 percent in its fifth straight advance. European markets were mixed in the early going. (Check the latest on world markets)
Among U.S. stocks trading in Europe, Nextel Communications (NXTL: Research, Estimates) was down nearly 3 percent. Rival Verizon Wireless said it will unveil a new walkie-talkie phone service similar to Nextel's.
Treasury prices recovered some of Wednesday's decline, sending the 10-year note yield down to 4.55 percent from 4.56 percent late Wednesday. The dollar gained against the yen and euro.
Brent oil futures pulled back 22 cents to $28.87 a barrel in London, where gold topped $360 an ounce in early trading
3287.99
1275.09