The Market On Thursday

Good morning. It is a clear and crisp day here in Upstate NY. The sun is out and it is quite bright. During my morning walk the moon and starts were out and it was spectacular. If you can get out around 5:30 a.m. do it.

At 8:30 a.m. futures are slightly lower, the dollar is mixed, and oil is slightly down.

I just read that the first time unemployment filers number is 388,000. That is actually good. Below 400,000 is considered a more normal number. So this will be seen as positive news indeed.

CNN: Stocks set for a flat open

The Department of Labor releases its weekly report on jobless claims before the open.


After the start of trading, the National Association of Realtors is expected to report that pending home sales slipped 3% in November, after jumping 10.4% in October.


Oil for February delivery slipped 8 cents to $91.04 a barrel.