Wall Street heads for lower open amid pandemic and election jitters

Wall Street’s main indices are pointing towards a lower open on Friday as guidance from several big tech companies stoked jitters over the impact of the pandemic amid ongoing uncertainty over next week’s election. Spread-betters are predicting that the Dow Jones Industrial Average will open around 182 points lower, while the S&P 500 is expected to start down 23 points and the Nasdaq is predicted to fall 105 points. While most of the big tech firms beat expectations after the close on Thursday, a lack of an official outlook from corporations such as Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) for the crucial Christmas period, as well as a cautious assessment for 2021 from Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) have left traders unsure about whether the explosive growth can continue as the effects of the pandemic eat away at the struggling economy. A continued rise in Covid-19 cases globally also ensures that the market remains on the back foot as we head into the weekend, said Joshua Mahony at IG, adding that the rising infections could also prove decisive in the presidential race. “The futures markets point towards a US-led selloff today as new coronavirus cases in the country topped 91,000 with just days left until the election. From a US-perspective, the prospect of a dramatic rise in Covid-cases should bolster Biden’s election prospects.” However, with Democrat challenger Joe Biden seemingly more willing to lock down the US in a bid to control the virus, Mahony said a victory for the Democrat leader could see markets tumble as the prospect of a nationwide lockdown overshadows stimulus optimism. Four things to watch for on Friday: Major figures reported today will likely be from oil majors ExxonMobil and Chevron, both of which are scheduled to report third quarter numbers amid a difficult time for the oil industry Also on the calendar is US pharmaceutical giant AbbVie as well as toothpaste maker Colgate-Palmolive  On the macroeconomic front, US personal income data for September will provide clarity on the spending power of US citizens. The figure declined by 2.7% in August, further than market expectations, but is forecast to inch 0.4% higher in September Also in focus will be the Chicago PMI for October, an indicator of business activity in the rust belt area.  Forecasts are expecting the figure to show a reading of 56, down from 62.4 in September