Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures are cautiously higher this morning, with central banks and the latest round of earnings in focus. In addition, the unveiling of the House Republican tax bill will be sure to pique traders' interest.
President Trump is expected to formally announce a decision on Fed Chair, where it is widely suggested Fed Governor Jerome Powell will be the choice. Meanwhile, speculators are digesting the Bank of England's (BoE) first rate hike in 10 years, a day after the Fed signaled a December rate hike is on tap. Earnings season continues to roll along, with Alibaba (BABA), Tesla (TSLA), and Facebook (FB) in the spotlight today, ahead of Apple's (AAPL) earnings tonight.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
Your Apple earnings preview.Options bears are lining up for this struggling blue-chip stock.Analysts expect record highs for this airline stock.Plus, a Tesla marriage in trouble; Under Armour's executive shakeup; and Blue Apron's sales surprise.
It was a mostly lower finish in Asia today, though Tokyo stocks outperformed on a positive earnings reaction for Honda, while Sony extended its earnings-related surge. At the close, Japan's Nikkei was up 0.5% to notch its highest close since June 1996. China's Shanghai Composite and South Korea's Kospi each gave back 0.4%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.3%.
European markets are mixed at midday, with London stocks outperforming following the BoE's first rate hike since 2007. Specifically, the FTSE 100 is up 0.6%, after the central bank lifted its key interest rate to 0.5% from 0.25% -- a move that was widely expected. Traders are now panning comments from BoE Governor Mark Carney, and keeping a close eye on sterling, which has plummeted against the U.S. dollar and the euro in the wake of the announcement. Elsewhere in the region, the German DAX and the French CAC 40 are both flirting with 0.1% losses.