U.S. stock futures are mixed in pre-market trading for Friday, March 16.The Nasdaq Futures are trading at 7,068.75 with a loss of -0.02% percent or -1.75 point.The S&P 500 Futures are trading at 2,756.25 for up with +0.03% percent or +0.75 point. The Dow Futures are trading at 24,910.00 with a loss of -0.06% percent or -12.00 point.
In overnight trading in the Eastern Hemisphere, Japan’s Nikkei 225 are trading at 21,676.51 with a loss of -0.58% percent or -127.44 point. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng are trading at 31,402.38 with a loss of -0.44% percent or -138.72 point. China’s Shanghai Composite are trading at 3,269.88 with a loss of -0.65% percent or -21.23 point. India’s BSE Sensex are trading at 33,409.04 with a loss of -0.82% percent or – 276.50 point at 12:15 PM.The FTSE 100 are trading at 7,153.14 for up with +0.19% percent or +13.38 point. Germany’s DAX are trading at 12,399.52 for up with +0.44% percent or +53.96 point. France’s CAC 40 are trading at 5,273.40 for up with +0.12% percent or +6.14 point. The Stoxx Europe 600 are trading at 377.36 for up with +0.13% percent or +0.49 point.
Friday’s Factors and Events
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) CEO Jeff Bezos went on 60 Minutes to unveil a big surprise: drone delivery. Called Prime Air, the program would allow the company to deliver packages in 30 minutes or less, and Bezos predicted it would start happening in four to five years.
Well, four to five years after that interview, the government is set to slash red tape and lift regulations that have prevented drone delivery from becoming a reality.
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal , limited deliveries are expected to start happening within months, and at least 10 Federal Aviation Administration-approved test programs for drone deliveries are expected to start in May.
Thursday’s Activity
U.S. market were mixed on Thursday. For the day the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 24,873.66 for up with +0.47% percent or +115.54 point. The S&P 500 closed at 2,747.33 with a loss of -0.08% percent or -2.15 point. The Nasdaq Composite closed at 7,481.74 with a loss of -0.20% percent or -15.07 point.
Other leading market index closes included the small-cap Russell 2000 Index closed at 1,576.62 with a loss of –0.49% percent or -7.69 point; the S&P 600 Small-Cap Index closed at 961.21 with a loss of -0.41% percent or -3.97 point; the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index closed at 1,922.24 with a loss of -0.36% percent or -7.04 point; the S&P 100 Index closed at 1,210.77 with a loss of -0.02% percent or -0.25 point; the Russell 3000 Index closed at 1,625.90 with a loss of -0.14% percent or -2.29 point; the Russell 1000 Index closed at 1,522.26 with a loss of -0.11% percent or -1.71 point; and the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index closed at 24,873.66 for up with +0.47% percent or +115.54 point.