S&P 500 Futures

S&P futures vs fair value: 1009.10, up 4.90. Stick futures are off to a solid start this early Thursday. The strength is came from the latest jobless claims figures. The initial claims are now at 550,000, down from the previous reading of 588,000. However, on the other hand continuing claims data came worse than the widely expected consensus. Continuous claims climbed to 6.31 million. The consensus was 6.25 million.

Market just opened and stocks are trading with a mixed fashion. Consumer staples, Health Care and Energy sectors are all trading with moderate losses. Meanwhile financial sector is pulling the S&P 500 to a 10-month highs now. It is up 1.49%.

Crude oil is now under moderate-selling pressure. It is last quoted at $71.44 a barrel, down 0.53 cents.

European bourses are trying new highs for the day. Main strength is coming from the financial sector in England. FTSE 100 is now trading 66.81 points higher at 4713.94. Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 also are trading with gains, up 1.05% and 1.16% respectively.

On a quick note, Chain store sales showed a weakness in July, tough it is almost identical with weak June sales.