LIVE MARKETS-Treading water near records: S&P 500 awaits its next wave

Dow Jones Industrial Average
CBOE Volatility Index
S&P 500 index
State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF
NASDAQ

Dow Jones Industrial Average

DJI

0.00

CBOE Volatility Index

0.00

S&P 500 index

SPX

0.00

State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF

XRT

0.00

NASDAQ

IXIC

0.00

Nasdaq 100 futures down ~1%, S&P 500 dip, Dow edge green

Initial jobless claims 208k vs 217k est; Jul Philly Fed 41.4 vs 13 est

Jun Retail Sales MM 0.2% vs 0.2% est; Ex-Autos MM -0.2% vs -0.1% est

Euro STOXX 600 index down ~0.8%

Dollar gains; gold, bitcoin both off >1%; U.S. crude up >1%

U.S. 10-year Treasury yield rises to ~4.59%

Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of markets brought to you by Reuters reporters. You can share your thoughts with us at markets.research@thomsonreuters.com

TREADING WATER NEAR RECORDS: S&P 500 AWAITS ITS NEXT WAVE

E-mini S&P 500 futures ESc1 are off around 0.35% early on Thursday morning, suggesting a modestly lower start for the benchmark index.

That said, the S&P 500 .SPX remains within striking distance of its record highs.

The index ended Wednesday at 7,572.40, leaving it just 0.49% below its June 2 record close of 7,609.78 and 0.64% below its June 2 intraday peak of 7,620.90.

Before the index can challenge those highs, traders will be watching the July 10 high at 7,579.83, which may act as interim resistance. If the S&P 500 breaks into new record territory, the 8,000 area may come into focus as the next major upside target.

On the downside, initial support sits at the July 13 low of 7,506.41. Below that, attention shifts to a weekly Gann Line near 7,465 and the rising 50-day moving average, which finished Wednesday at 7,454 and is expected to climb to around 7,460 on Thursday.

One notable feature is the market's resilience above the 50-day moving average. Since rebounding from the March 30 low and reclaiming that level on April 8, the S&P 500 has closed below it only once—on June 26—and quickly bounced back.

If support levels begin to give way, particularly with a break below the July 8 low of 7,421.82, it could signal growing downside pressure. In that scenario, the next levels to watch would be the June 26 low at 7,294.18 and the June 9 trough at 7,237.85.

A deeper decline could then put the 7,000 area into focus, where the rising 200-day moving average could provide additional support.

(Terence Gabriel)

*****

EARLIER ON LIVE MARKETS:

GERMAN AUTOMAKERS SPUTTER AMID CHINA SHOCK AND EV PIVOT CLICK HERE

CARLSBERG A WINNER FROM NORTHERN WORLD CUP RUNS CLICK HERE

EUROPEAN BANKS' BULL RUN STILL HAS FUEL IN THE TANK CLICK HERE

LACKLUSTRE OPEN CLICK HERE

EUROPE BEFORE THE BELL: STEADY ENOUGH CLICK HERE

THIS AI, IT WILL MAKE A PROFIT, RIGHT? CLICK HERE