Wall Street is focusing on some terrific tech earnings and market sentiment is getting an overall boost.
Here are the five things you need to know before the opening bell rings in New York:
1. Terrific tech: Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet (aka Google) all reported impressive quarterly results on Thursday in the late afternoon. Investors are bidding shares much higher in extended trading.
Both classes of Alphabet shares — GOOG and GOOGL — are rising by about 10% premarket.
Amazon’s stock is also up by about 10% and Microsoft shares are climbing by about 7%.
2. Stock market overview: U.S. stock futures are rising on the back of these earnings results. The tech-heavy Nasdaq index is leading the way forward.
European markets are also rallying in early trading, with many key indexes up by over 1%. This positive momentum comes after the head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, said Thursday that the bank was examining new ways to tackle deflation and get the economy moving again. The bank could act as early as its next meeting on Dec. 3.
Steps the ECB could take in six weeks’ time include cutting interest rates even deeper into negative territory, or increasing the size and scope of its program of quantitative easing — printing money to buy government bonds and other assets.
The euro weakened significantly in the wake of these comments.
Over in Asia, stock markets all closed the week with gains.
3. Market losers — TalkTalk, Pandora: It’s not a positive day for everyone.
Shares in TalkTalk Telecom Group are dropping by about 10% in London after the company said private data from its four million customers could have been stolen after it experienced a “significant and sustained cyberattack” earlier this week. British police are investigating the case.
Shares in Pandora are taking a massive double-digit drop after the music streaming service posted quarterly results and announced a $90 million settlement with record companies for misusing some pre-1972 music.
4. Earnings: Investors can expect quarterly reports from companies including American Airlines, Procter & Gamble Whirlpool and Royal Caribbean this morning before trading begins.
5. Weekly market recap: It was a relatively quiet week in terms of volatility and the CNNMoney Fear & Greed index is currently sitting in neutral territory.
However, Thursday was a big day. All the main U.S. indexes shot up.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose by 1.9%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq each added 1.7%.
