Adviser Investments CIO Jim Lowell provides insight into how the omicron variant will impact the stock market.
U.S. stock futures are trading mixed ahead of economic data on jobs and minutes from the Federal Reserve’s December meeting.
The major futures indexes suggest a gain of 0.1% on the Dow, but a decline of 0.3% on the Nasdaq with the S&P little changed.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I:DJI | DOW JONES AVERAGES | 36799.65 | +214.59 | +0.59% |
| SP500 | S&P 500 | 4793.54 | -3.02 | -0.06% |
| I:COMP | NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX | 15622.718473 | -210.08 | -1.33% |
The Dow climbed to its second record of 2022 on Tuesday nearing the 37,000 level for the first time.
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Traders will be watching for the first of this week’s labor-related reports ahead of Friday’s release of the December jobs report.
The payroll processing firm ADP releases its National Employment report for December. Economists are looking for a gain of 400,000 private-sector jobs, down from an increase of 534,000 in November.
Also on the docket is the final Markit services PMI for December. The flash reading two weeks ago came in at 57.5, down slightly from 58.0 in November.
Investors are also anticipating the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest policy meeting in December, set for release on Wednesday.
Automakers remain in focus with General Motors CEO Mary Barra set to unveil the electric Chevy Silverado at the Consumer Electronics Show.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM | GENERAL MOTORS CO. | 65.74 | +4.57 | +7.47% |
| F | FORD MOTOR CO. | 24.31 | +2.54 | +11.67% |
GM and Ford are both racing to lead the EV transformation. On Tuesday, Ford announced it will double the production of its electric F-150.
In health, the CDC is reviewing Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine booster for ages 12-15.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFE | PFIZER INC. | 54.53 | -2.12 | -3.74% |
| BNTX | BIONTECH SE | 224.09 | -7.76 | -3.35% |
Walmart is stepping up its home delivery push with plans to expand to 30 million homes this year. It also plans to hire 3,000 drivers. The move takes aim at retail giant Amazon.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMT | WALMART INC. | 142.00 | -2.65 | -1.83% |
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 3,350.44 | -57.65 | -1.69% |
THE BEST CITIES TO FIND A JOB IN 2022: REPORT
Asian benchmarks mostly slipped Wednesday as technology shares in the region echoed a similar drop in the sector on Wall Street.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 inched up 0.1%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 1.6% and China’s Shanghai Composite lost 1.0%.
In Europe, London’s FTSE added 0.3%, Germany’s DAX rose 0.7% and France’s CAC gained 0.5%.
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FOX Business’ Ken Martin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.