The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. It is 54 degrees and sunny here in the Upper Hudson Valley. It looks like we are in for one of those especially gorgeous early Fall days. We are very sorry to see Thomas Duncan pass away from Ebola in Texas and we feel for his family. Besides that grief, his death certainly opens up new fears about the disease and how well we can or cannot treat it. I mean if the USA offers the best treatment and he dies, what does this say.

  At 8:50 a.m. ET futures are moderately lower and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open lower.

  I can't explain today's pre-market numbers. Perhaps the day will take on the complexion of yesterdays massive rally or perhaps not. With the Fed practically guaranteeing low interest rates into the future and with Alcoa posting a significant third quarter profit, one might think that the fear could rest a bit.

CNN: Stocks: 3 things to know before the open

...a report from the U.S. Federal Reserve suggested it won't raise interest rates for a while.

Alcoa shares are climbing by about 4% premarket after the company announced much better than expected quarterly profits.