The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. It is a cool 40 degrees with sunshine here in the Upper Hudson Valley. It looks like we are having a slight cooling trend today with the temperature only going up into the high 40s. In spite of the present coolness the buds on the trees are very ripe. The crab apples in my backyard are just about ready to open their beautiful pinkish red early leaves. The grass continues to get greener, it's a great time of the year simply to enjoy nature going through rapid changes.

  At 8:30 a.m. ET futures are moderately lower and the price of oil per barrel is slightly higher. The market is poised to open lower.

  There's a little turbulence in the system today surrounding slightly weaker manufacturing data out of powerhouse China. Otherwise investors will continue to see a steady stream of first quarter corporate reports today. From Reuters: Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 295,000 for the week...

CNN: Stocks: 5 things to know before the open

At 10 a.m., the Census Bureau will release data on new home sales in March.

The HSBC flash PMI index that tracks manufacturing activity in China fell to a 12-month low on Thursday, indicating continued weakness in the world's second largest economy.