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U.S. futures were lower ahead of the opening bell, after a survey of purchasing managers showed Europe's downturn worsened in February. The index has been stuck below 50 for a year, indicating the services sector has been contracting.
European markets fell sharply in morning trading, following the disappointing data.
In United States, initial jobless claims rose to 362,000 last week, coming in higher than economists were expecting.
The Consumer Price Index was unchanged month-over-month in January, and up 1.6% from a year ago. Core CPI, which strips the price of food and energy, increased 0.3% month-over-month in January, and 1.9% from a year earlier.
At 10 a.m. ET, the National Association of Realtors will release data on existing home sales, while the Philadelphia branch of the Federal Reserve will release its monthly business outlook survey.
On the corporate front, Walmart (WMT, Fortune 500)reported earnings that beat forecasts but said sales had softened during the quarter. The retailer also hiked its annual dividend by 18%.
Related: Crunched consumers are cutting back
Chesapeake Energy (CHK, Fortune 500) shares rose more than 2% after the company announced better-than-expected quarterly results. Safeway (SWY, Fortune 500) will also report its results in the morning, and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ, Fortune 500) is up after the closing bell.
Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) shares fell 0.6% in premarket trading, after Foxconn (FXCNF) said it is slowing its hiring of workers at factories in China. The Taiwanese company makes about 40% of the world's consumer electronics gadgets, including products and parts for Apple, Intel (INTC, Fortune 500)and Cisco (CSCO, Fortune 500).
Tesla (TSLA) shares sank 8% in premarket trading after the electric-car maker posted a wider-than-expected loss for the fourth quarter.
U.S. stocks ended lower Wednesday after Federal Reserve meeting minutes raised worries the central bank might scale back its bond-buying program. Despite Wednesday's losses, stocks are still up between 5% and 6% so far this year.
Fear & Greed Index still showing extreme greed
Asian markets ended weaker, also following the U.S. lead. The Shanghai Composite lost 3.0%, the Nikkei fell 1.4% and the Hang Seng declined 1.7%. 
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| Dirty medicine |
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 15,354.40 | 121.18 | 0.80% |
| Nasdaq | 3,498.97 | 33.73 | 0.97% |
| S&P 500 | 1,667.47 | 17.00 | 1.03% |
| Treasuries | 1.93 | -0.02 | -1.08% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Corp... | 13.43 | 0.07 | 0.52% |
| Microsoft Corp | 34.87 | 0.79 | 2.32% |
| Ford Motor Co | 15.08 | 0.44 | 3.01% |
| General Electric Co | 23.46 | 0.19 | 0.82% |
| Sprint Nextel Corp | 7.32 | 0.04 | 0.55% |
| Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed | 3.66% | 3.58% | |
| 15 yr fixed | 2.79% | 2.72% | |
| 5/1 ARM | 2.59% | 2.57% | |
| 30 yr refi | 3.64% | 3.57% | |
| 15 yr refi | 2.79% | 2.72% |
Today's featured rates:
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