- AIG Slashes US Debt to $17 Billion in Deal With NY Fed
- US Manufacturing Grows Less Than Expected
- Pending Home Sales Have Record Rise; Construction Flat
- Commercial Property Fears Are Overblown: Zell, LeFrak
- Trump: Time to Force Banks to Start Lending
- Accused Fraudster Rothstein Arrested
- What to Expect From Obama's Afghanistan Speech
- Somali Sea Gangs Create Pirate Stock Exchange
- Good Sign for the Economy: 'Greed' Makes a Comeback
- GE-Vivendi Deal Good for GE Finance, Comcast: Market Pro
- Will Afghanistan Surge Make Defense Stocks Surge Too?
- S&P Stocks Trading at New 52-Week Highs
- 'The 5 Big Lies About American Business'
- Farrell: Forget About Dubai—Worry About This
- How Long Will This Health Care Firm's Rally Last?
- Dubai a 'Wake Up Call'—Expect Volatility Now: Market Pro
- Treasury Threatens Banks, Not Borrowers
- We're Approaching a Market Bubble: Portfolio Manager
MOST SHARED
- Good Sign for the Economy: 'Greed' Makes a Comeback
- Commercial Property Fears Are Overblown: Zell, LeFrak
- Dubai Stocks Could Fall a Further 30%: Charts
- Manufacturing in Focus as Bulls Call for Turn in Dollar
- Bank of Japan Offers More Liquidity at Emergency Meeting
- Dubai Markets Close Sharply Lower for Second Day
- US Manufacturing Grew Less Than Expected in November
- AIG Slashes US Debt to $17 Billion in Deal With NY Fed
- More Late on Auto Loan Payments in Third Quarter
- Charts: Dollar Could See Solid Rebound
Text Size 
Stock index futures were poised for a modest rise Thursday as Wall Street prepares for the latest reading on the unemployment picture.
But gains were limited as oil prices added to the previous day's declines that were the worst since July. And the market was continuing to weight comments from the Federal Reserve that indicated the central bank will continue phasing out easy money policies.
In corporate news, Citigroup [C
Loading...
()
] is expected to narrow the focus of its branch network to six major metropolitan areas, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The bank will focus on New York, Washington, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, paring business in Boston, Philadelphia and Texas.
Citi shares gained 1.1 percent in premarket trading.
The market also is watching as the largest run of initial public offerings to hit Wall Street in two years accelerates.
A123 Systems increased the number of shares in its IPO and priced them at $13.50 apiece, which helped raise $380.4 million, well above the expected amount. The shares will be available Thursday on the Nasdaq under the symbol AONE.
Elsewhere in tech, Microsoft [MSFT
Loading...
()
] shot down talk that it might take over Electronic Arts [ERTS
Loading...
()
], sending shares of the gaming company down more than 3 percent premarket.
Wednesday's sudden late reversal that sent the major averages negative for the day highlights just how conflicted investors are: on one hand, they want to see signs of an economic recovery. On the other, they're somewhat disturbed by the idea that the Fed may tighten sooner rather than later.
The Dow rose above 9,900 points briefly before the last hour selloff, finishing at 9,748 points.
The Labor Department's weekly report on initial jobless claims may be a key to today's trading, or at least to the open. Economists are looking for initial claims of 550,000 compared to last week's reading of 545,000.
At 10 am New York time, the National Association of Realtors is out with August existing home sales, with the consensus forecast calling for a 2.9 percent increase over July levels.
The Treasury completes its three-day sale of $112 billion dollars in debt by auctioning $29 billion in 7-year notes. As usual, the results will be available shortly after 1 pm.
One after-the-bell earnings report of note comes today, will come from Blackberry maker Research In Motion [RIMM
Loading...
()
].
- Goldman Sachs has forbidden employees from gathering in private holiday parties of 12 or more.
- Since its launch in 1998, Google has become a primary force on the Internet. How much do you know about the company?
- What do the gifts from the 12 Days of Christmas cost this year, and how do they compare to 2008?
- A conservative author aims to remind readers why capitalism works for the common good.
- A recent issue of ESPN Magazine was one of its top sellers ever, and it only took scantily clad athletes to make it happen.
- The continued real estate boom in China is partially fueled by a generational flood of newlyweds.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes