LONDON -- The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEX: ^DJI) and the S&P 500 (INDEX: ^GSPC) are expected to open firmly higher this morning, according to futures markets, as global markets rebound from yesterday's falls.
In the news today will be the monthly jobs report. July's nonfarm payroll figures are due at 8:30 a.m. EDT and are expected to show an addition of 100,000 new jobs, up from 80,000 in June. Also due is July's unemployment rate -- expected to remain unchanged at 8.2% -- and the latest ISM nonmanufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index, expected to be broadly unchanged at 52.
Companies whose shares may be active when markets open include Proctor & Gamble and Viacom, both of which are due to report before the bell this morning. Molycorp and on-demand car hire firm Zipcar could also be active following disappointing quarterly results after the close last night.
European markets have rebounded this morning after falling heavily yesterday when the ECB failed to announce a fully formed rescue plan for the eurozone. At 7 a.m. EDT, the CAC was up by 2.2%, the DAX was up 2%, the IBEX was up 3.3%, and the FTSE MIB was 4.4% higher. However, Spanish and Italian government bond yields also rose sharply this morning, now that it's clear that no help will be forthcoming from the ECB for these countries unless their governments formally request bailouts. At 6:30 a.m. EDT, the yield on 10-year Spanish government bonds was 7.1%, while 10-year Italian bonds yielded 6.1%. Both were down from earlier peaks.
In London, the FTSE 100 (INDEX: ^FTSE) was up by 1.3% at 7 a.m. EDT, helped by a rise in the Chinese composite purchasing managers' index, which rose from 50.6 in June to 51.9 in July, signifying stronger growth. Royal Bank of Scotland was among the top gainers, rising more than 4% following a decent half-yearly report that showed improved performance from its core businesses. Only eight ended the morning session lower, with International Consolidated Airlines (which owns British Airways and Iberia) leading the losers by dropping 4% after reporting a big loss in the first six months of the year.
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