Reuters/Hamad I Mohammed
A US Marines Harrier AV-8B makes its way to a fueling boom suspended from a US Air Force KC-10 Extender during mid-air refueling support to Operation Inherent Resolve over Iraq and Syria air space.
Janet Yellen made an unsettling admission about the economy. The Fed raised its benchmark interest rate 25 basis points to a range of 0.75% to 1.00% at Wednesday's meeting, making for the third rate hike since the financial crisis. However, in her accompanying press conference, Yellen noted, "The data have not notably strengthened."
The Dutch election deals a blow to populism. Prime minister Mark Rutte's ruling People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is projected to win 33 seats in Wednesday's election, 13 more than populist leader Geert Wilders.
Japan kept policy on hold. In a 7-2 vote, the Bank of Japan held its key rate at -0.1% and pledged to target a 10-year Japanese government bond yield of 0%. "With regard to the outlook, Japan's economy is likely to turn to a moderate expansion," the BOJ said in its statement.
Oil's bounce continues. West Texas Intermediate crude oil trades up 1% at $49.32 per barrel after data released by the International Energy Agency on Wednesday showed US crude stockpiles fell for the first time in 10 weeks. Oil gained more than 2% on Wednesday.
Tesla is raising cash. The automaker announced it will raise $1.15 billion mostly through the sale of common stock ($250 million) and convertible senior notes ($750 million). Tesla CEO Elon Musk will also buy more shares.
Oracle's cloud business had a huge quarter. The business software maker announced better than expected adjusted revenue and profit, helped by sales at its cloud business surging 62 percent to $1.19 billion, Reuters reports.
GoPro announces more layoffs. The action camera maker announced it is eliminating 270 jobs in what is the second round of layoffs in three months."We now expect to deliver revenue in the upper end of our guidance range of between $190 million and $210 million," CEO Nick Woodman said in a statement.
Canada Goose prices its IPO. The winter apparel maker known for its coyote fur lined coats priced its initial public offering at C$17 ($12.78) per share, above the C$14-C$16 range that Wall Street was expecting. Shares will trade under the ticker "GOOS."
Stock markets around the world are higher. Hong Kong's Hang Seng (+2.1%) led the overnight advance and Germany's DAX (+1%) paces the gains in Europe. The S&P 500 is set to open up 0.2% near 2,391.
US economic data remains heavy. Housing starts, building permits, initial claims, and the Philly Fed will all be released at 8:30 a.m. ET before JOLTS Job Openings cross the wires at 10 a.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is up 4 basis points at 2.53%.