Premarket: 6 things to know before the bell
1. Big banks report: Wall Street will get earnings from JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Citigroup (C) before the opening bell.
JPMorgan is expected to cement its position as the most profitable U.S. bank.
Citi is also set to make investors happy. For the first time since 2007, the bank’s market value has topped $ 200 billion — thanks to a 52% surge in its stock price since President Trump’s election.
2. Finance leaders meet: The annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank starts on Thursday.
U.S. tax reform, the economic crisis in Venezuela and nuclear threats from North Korea will be high on the agenda.
The question of increasing capital for the World Bank’s main lending arm is likely to become a sticking point.
The majority of the bank’s 189 member countries support the move. But the U.S. — its largest shareholder — could veto the decision.
3. NAFTA talks: The fourth round of NAFTA negotiations are also underway in Washington.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried Wednesday to convince Trump of the benefits of the free trade agreement during at a meeting in the White House. Trump has repeatedly called NAFTA the worst trade deal in U.S. history.
Trump doesn’t appear to be buying Trudeau’s message. He said that if Mexico, Canada and the U.S. can’t renegotiate the deal, “it’ll be terminated and that will be fine.”
4. Global market overview: U.S. stock futures were lower early on Thursday.
Markets in Europe and Asia were mixed.
Tokyo’s Nikkei reached its highest level in more than two decades on Thursday. Japanese stocks have been boosted by the cheap yen, low corporate taxes and expectations that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will remain in power.
U.S. markets hit more record highs on Wednesday. The Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 gained 0.2%, while the Nasdaq added 0.3%.
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5. Companies and economics: Domino’s Pizza (DPZ) is set to release earnings before the open.
General Electric(GE) shares fell 1% to their lowest level in four years on Wednesday. A series of management shake-ups have failed to restore investor confidence in the industrial giant.
The annual shareholder meeting of British pay-TV provider Sky (SKYAY) is being held Thursday. James Murdoch, its chairman, is facing a backlash from some shareholders who want a truly independent executive in the position.
Murdoch also serves as chief executive of 21st Century Fox. Fox is attempting to buy Sky.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will release its producer price index for September at 8:30 a.m. ET.
The weekly U.S. crude inventories report will follow at 10:30 a.m.
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6. Coming this week:
Thursday — JPMorgan earnings; Citigroup earnings
Friday — Bank of America earnings; Wells Fargo earnings
