Welcome to the final trading day of the year!
Oil continues to capture attention after a 3% fall on Wednesday.
European markets are shut or closing early. London is down in light trading while Frankfurt and Paris are closed until Monday. Asia ended Thursday mixed. U.S. stock futures are slightly higher.
Here are the three things you need to know before the opening bell rings in New York:
1. Oil: Crude prices increased slightly to $36.75 on Thursday, after losing nearly 12% in December alone. Prices dropped significantly on Wednesday after data showed the U.S. had stockpiled more oil than anticipated.
2. Economics: The weekly U.S. jobless claims report is due at 8:30 a.m. ET from the Department of Labor.
At 9:45 a.m., the results from December’s Chicago business survey are due from the Institute for Supply Management. The key index, Chicago PMI, dipped below 50 again last month to a disappointing 48.7.
3. Wednesday market recap: The Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 each shed 0.7%, and the Nasdaq dipped 0.8%.
