US index futures are lower this morning as investors wait to hear the data on US housing starts in February. A consensus estimate calls for an annualized adjusted figure of 706,000, up from 699,000 in January. In Europe, markets are trading lower commodities in general, and mining stocks in particular, move lower on forecasts of a slowdown in China. In Asia, the Chinese government has raised gasoline prices for the second time this year, pushing down stock prices on the mainland and in Hong Kong. Japan’s equity markets were closed today.
At about 8:15 a.m. ET, Germany’s DAX is down -1.40% at 7,054.10 and France’s CAC 40 is down -1.34%, at 3,529.80. In London, the FTSE 100 is down -1.11%, at 5,894.65.
In Asia, the Hang Seng index closed down -1.08%, at 20,888.20 and the Shanghai exchange closed down -1.38%, at 2,376.84.
Dow futures are down -0.49%, at 13,102.00. The Nasdaq is down -0.50%, at 2,714.00 and the S&P is down -0.62%, at 1,395.30.
In the currency markets, the US dollar is stronger against the euro, the Japanese yen, and the British pound. The US dollar index is up 0.47% at 79.843.
In commodities, WTI and Brent crude are lower this morning, with WTI down -0.89% at $107.13/barrel and Brent is down -1.34% at $124.03/barrel. Gold is down -1.37% this morning, at $1,644.40/ounce.
Paul Ausick
Are You Still Paying With a Debit Card?
The average American spends $17,274 on debit cards a year, and it’s a HUGE mistake. First, debit cards don’t have the same fraud protections as credit cards. Once your money is gone, it’s gone. But more importantly you can actually get something back from this spending every time you swipe.
Issuers are handing out wild bonuses right now. With some you can earn up to 5% back on every purchase. That’s like getting a 5% discount on everything you buy!
Our top pick is kind of hard to imagine. Not only does it pay up to 5% back, it also includes a $200 cash back reward in the first six months, a 0% intro APR, and…. $0 annual fee. It’s quite literally free money for any one that uses a card regularly. Click here to learn more!
Flywheel Publishing has partnered with CardRatings to provide coverage of credit card products. Flywheel Publishing and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
Our expert who first called NVIDIA in 2009 is predicting 2025 will see a historic AI breakthrough.
You can follow him investing $500,000 of his own money on our top AI stocks for free.