Investing.com - Here are the top five things you need to know in financial markets on Friday, November 9:
1. Fed On Track to Steadily Raise Rates
The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Thursday but remained on track to continue gradually raising interest rates.
The central bank has hiked U.S. interest rates three times this year and is widely expected to do so again in December.
Expectations of a hike are priced in at around 80%, according to Investing.com’s Fed Rate Monitor Tool.
While there were few changes to the central bank’s statement, the Fed’s new assessment of business fixed investment received some attention.
The “growth of business fixed investment has moderated from its rapid pace earlier in the year,” the Fed said in its statement.
That contrasted with “business fixed investment (has) grown strongly” in the September statement.
The change indicates that the Fed sees some moderating of the economy, but is content with its slow and steady rate hike pace.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a basket of six major currencies, rose 0.09% to 96.64.
2. Wall Street Poised For Weaker Open
Global stocks were lower on Friday as expectations of a Fed rate hike and weak Chinese data dampened demand for riskier assets.
The S&P 500 futures fell 0.48% while Dow futures lost 0.39% and tech heavy Nasdaq 100 futures decreased 0.67%.
Trading in Europe was lower, with the DAX, FTSE 100 and CAC 40 all in the red as tensions between the European Commission and Italy over its 2019 budget deficit continued.
Meanwhile in Asia, stocks closed lower after cooling producer price inflation data and falling car sales in China suggest the economy is struggling to gain traction. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng fell 2.39% and the China A50 Index decreased 2.28%. The Shanghai Composite was down 1.39% while in Japan, the TOPIX inched down 0.49% and the Nikkei 225 lost 1.05%.
3. Walt Disney DIS Beats Earnings Expectations
Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) will be closely watched during the open after it beat Wall Street estimates on the top and bottom lines on Thursday.
The company said after the bell it earned $1.48 a share on revenue of $14.31 billion.
Shares rose 1.72% in premarket trading.
Other earnings results in focus on Friday are numbers from defense company Rockwell Collins (NYSE:COL), Chase Corporation (NYSE:CCF) and GNC Holdings Inc (NYSE:GNC).
4. PPI, Michigan Sentiment Expected
The Labor Department releases its latest measure on wholesale inflation at 8:30 AM ET (13:30 GMT).
Economists predict that the producer price index (PPI) rose 0.2% in October, the same as the month before.
Core PPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, is forecast to have risen 0.2% last month, also the same as September's reading.
At 10:00 AM ET, the University of Michigan will release its preliminary measure of November consumer sentiment.
On average, economists expect the index to drop down slightly to 98.
5. Oil Prices Flat on Supply Concerns
Oil prices were flat on Friday as rising supply and concerns over a global economic slowdown spooked investors. West Texas Crude oil futures fell 1.78% to $59.59 a barrel while Brent crude futures, the benchmark for oil prices outside the U.S., decreased 1.60% to $69.58.
Data on Wednesday showed that inventories in the U.S. continue to rise more than expected, leading to concerns of oversupply, despite sanctions against Iran.
U.S. crude inventories rose by 5.7 million barrels last week, compared with the general consensus of a 3.2 million-barrel increase, the EIA reported.
The weekly U.S. Baker Hughes oil rig count, which is a leading indicator of demand for oil products, comes out later in the session.