U.S. stocks will open with gains on Thursday, with the main indexes near record levels. The Dow Jones is going for its sixth straight daily advance, while the FedĀ“s decision for the short-term interest rate is to range between 1.25% and 1.5%.
In Thursday pre-market trading, The Walt Disney Company (DIS, Financial)Ć was up on the announcement of a $52 billion acquisition of key media assets of 21st Century Fox (FOXA). CEO Bob Iger said that deal should close in a year or a year and a half and commented about the chance to expand Fox's Avatar franchise. Further, the company is going to assume about $13.7 billion of debt of 21st Century Fox.
There will be some separation. Fox Broadcasting Network and its stations, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, Fox Sports 1 and 2 and the Big Ten Network, will all be in a separate company for shareholders.
Gainers
ā¢ Tiffany & Co. (TIF)
ā¢ Mattel Inc. (MAT, Financial)
ā¢ Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL)āā¹
ā¢ L Brands Inc. (LB, Financial)
Losers
ā¢ Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (JEC, Financial)
ā¢ Nielsen Holdings PLC (NLSN)
ā¢ Newell Brands Inc. (NWL, Financial)
ā¢ Patterson Companies Inc. (PDCO)
ā¢ Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ, Financial)
Global markets
The main European stock markets traded lower. The U.K.'s FTSE lost 0.16%, Spain's Ibex was down 0.24%, Germany's Dax closed down 0.06% and France's CAC retreated 0.14%.
In Asia, Japan's Nikkei closed down 0.28%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.19% and ChinaĀ“s SSE Composite slid 0.32%, while Indiaās BSE Sensex inched up 0.59%.
Disclosure: The author holds no positions in any stocks mentioned.
