Initial jobless claims for the week ending April 18 increased by 6,000 to 214,000 (Briefing.com consensus: 212,000). Continuing jobless claims for the week ending April 11 increased by 12,000 to 1.821 million.
The equity futures market has made a significant recovery from overnight lows following a CCTV report that preparations for talks between the U.S. and Iran might see a breakthrough by tomorrow.