MARKET SNAPSHOT: U.S. Stock Futures Gain As Investors Brace For Yellen Testimony
June 21 2016 - 9:37AM
Dow Jones News
By Ellie Ismailidou and Victor Reklaitis, MarketWatch
Market on track for second day of gains sparked by Brexit
polls
U.S. stock futures gained ahead of the open on Tuesday as
investors prepared for a speech by Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet
Yellen.
Investors continued to closely follow the latest polls from the
U.K., where the so-called Brexit referendum is set to take place on
Thursday.
S&P 500 futures advanced by 6 points, or 0.3%, to 2,080,
while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures moved up by 39 points,
or 0.2%, to 17,748. Nasdaq-100 futures tacked on 12 points, or
0.3%, to 4,402.
The gains come after the S&P 500 closed 0.6% higher on
Monday
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/djia-points-to-200-point-gain-as-polls-show-brexit-support-weakening-2016-06-20),
and the Dow added 0.7%, or 129.71 points. The stock market was
helped by polls showing support swinging back toward the U.K.
remaining a member of the European Union.
See:Soros says Brexit aftermath will be worse than time he broke
Bank of England
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/soros-says-brexit-aftermath-will-be-worse-than-time-he-broke-the-bank-of-england-2016-06-20)
Yellen is due to speak at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, delivering her
semi-annual testimony before the Senate Banking Committee.
Fed watchers and traders will be looking for signs of the health
of the domestic economy and when the U.S. central bank will resume
raising interest rates.
"In particular she needs to reconcile contradictory forecasts
about the U.S. economy," said Colin Cieszynski, chief market
strategist at CMC Markets, in emailed comments.
On one hand, "St. Louis Fed President [James] Bullard recently
switched from being a hawk calling for two rate hikes this year to
an ultra-dove calling for one rate hike between now and the end of
2018," Cieszynski said. Bullard's comments suggested that "the U.S.
is going to struggle for a long time to come and perhaps fall back
into recession."
On the other hand, home builder Lennar (LEN) on Tuesday posted
quarterly earnings and revenue
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/lennar-posts-double-digit-gains-in-new-orders-2016-06-21)
that topped Wall Street's forecasts while its CEO made statements
that "suggest an expanding economy," Cieszynski added.
Read:'Could a Trump victory hurt the economy?' and other
questions for Yellen
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/could-a-trump-victory-hurt-the-economy-and-other-tough-questions-coming-janet-yellens-way-2016-06-18)
But others played down the Fed chief's appearance before U.S.
lawmakers. It "has to be the most pointless speech from a Fed
chairman in recent memory," said Chris Weston, an IG market analyst
based in Australia. "The markets have a myopic focus on one thing:
the U.K. referendum vote."
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/could-a-trump-victory-hurt-the-economy-and-other-tough-questions-coming-janet-yellens-way-2016-06-18)On
the Brexit front, investors were tracking various polls, the latest
of which showed a split vote, with a slight advantage for the
"remain" vote, which got 45% of voters, while the "leave" vote got
44%.
Other markets: European stocks advanced moderately after soaring
Monday
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-leap-as-brexit-polls-show-shift-to-remain-camp-2016-06-20)
as Brexit fears abated, while Asian markets closed mostly higher
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nikkei-leads-asia-mostly-higher-as-bets-against-brexit-rise-2016-06-21).
July West Texas Intermediate crude traded lower
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/crude-oil-turns-lower-as-markets-refocus-on-supply-issues-2016-06-21)
as market players turned their attention back to oversupply
worries. The July contract expires at Tuesday's settlement, and
August will become the front month for WTI. Gold futures
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gold-extends-decline-ahead-of-yellen-testimony-brexit-vote-2016-06-21)
and the ICE U.S. Dollar Index both lost ground.
Read: The Brexit gold bet could be the smartest, or the dumbest,
ever
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-brexit-gold-bet-could-be-the-smartest-or-the-dumbest-ever-2016-06-21)
Company news: Ahead of the open, home builder Lennar Corp.(LEN)
posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/lennar-posts-double-digit-gains-in-new-orders-2016-06-21).
Shares rose 3.7% in premarket trading.
Used-car seller CarMax Inc.(KMX) fell 2.9% premarket, after the
company's profit and sales lagged estimates
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/carmax-profit-and-sales-lag-estimates-2016-06-21).
Sabre Corp. shares (SABR) could move after the travel software
company said CEO Tom Klein plans to resign
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sabre-corp-ceo-klein-to-resign-2016-06-20).
Facebook Inc.(FB) executives reiterated interest in entering
China
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/facebook-still-hopes-to-gain-entry-to-china-2016-06-20),
while answering questions Monday at the company's annual
shareholder meeting. Shares were 0.4% higher in premarket
action.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 21, 2016 09:22 ET (13:22 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Lennar (NYSE:LENB)
Historical Stock Chart
From Oct 2024 to Nov 2024
Lennar (NYSE:LENB)
Historical Stock Chart
From Nov 2023 to Nov 2024