U.S. stock futures are higher this morning, indicative of a potentially positive start to the regular session of trading. Checking in on commodities, both gold and crude futures have inched higher ahead of the bell, with crude muscling higher in the wake of OPEC-issued comments. Meanwhile, Asian investors responded to rate-cut-related news, while shares of Barclays (BCS) led the advancing issues in Europe. In focus this morning is news regarding the potential sale of Citigroup (C), a respite for some Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE) borrowers, and earnings from Salesforce.com (CRM).

Checking in on currencies and commodities, the U.S. Dollar Index has pared some of its recent gains, falling nearly 0.5% to hover near the 87.55 level. Meanwhile, the front-month gold contract has added $5.30, or 0.7%, to trade at $754 an ounce. Finally, crude-oil futures have tacked on 70 cents, or 1.42%, to flirt with the $50-per-barrel marker, after OPEC this morning announced it was very likely to make an "important decision" to stem declining oil prices when it meets on December 17.

Dominating headlines this morning is blue chip Citigroup The financial firm's board of directors is meeting today to consider auctioning off parts of the bank - or even the entire firm, according to The Wall Street Journal. The decision comes after the shares of C, along with most of its sector peers, took a hit this week, nearly halving themselves from last week's share price.

Turning to other equities in focus, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac got into the holiday spirit early this year - or so it seems. The government-backed lenders announced that they would temporarily suspend foreclosures and evictions on occupied homes from November 26 to January 9. The move - which will affect about 10,000 FNM borrowers and 6,000 FRE borrowers - is expected to let the duo work on a streamlined modification program expected out in December.

In earnings news, Salesforce.com said that its third-quarter net income rose to $10.1 million, or 8 cents per share, from $6.5 million, or 5 cents per share, in the same quarter last year. Revenue increased to $276.5 million from $192.8 million. Analysts, on average, had forecast earnings of 8 cents per share on $273.6 million in sales. The company projected fourth-quarter earnings of 6 cents to 7 cents per share, and revenue of $284 million to $285 million. For fiscal 2010, the firm projected revenue of $1.35 billion to $1.36 billion. Ahead of the bell, the shares of CRM are poised to gap moderately higher than yesterday's close of $22.83.

Earnings Preview

Also on the earnings front today, Ann Taylor Stores (ANN), Canadian Solar (CSIQ), and HJ Heinz (HNZ) are slated to release their quarterly figures. Keep your browser at SchaeffersResearch.com throughout the day for more.

Economic Calendar

There are no economic reports scheduled for today, but the economic calendar picks up again next week with October's existing home sales on Monday. Tuesday offers up the third-quarter preliminary chain deflator and gross domestic product, while October's durable goods orders and personal income/spending reports will arrive on Wednesday.

Market Statistics

Equity option activity on the CBOE saw 1,464,525 call contracts traded on Thursday, compared to 1,533,389 put contracts. The resultant single-session put/call ratio fell to 1.05, while the 21-day moving average inched higher to 0.86.

**The volume data shown above is from the Nasdaq and NYSE exchanges only. It does not include regional volume activity, which means that other daily volume quotes you see may be higher.**

Overseas Trading

Most overseas markets have reversed course today, with 6 of the 11 foreign indices that we track in positive territory. The cumulative average return on the collective stands at a gain of 0.69%. However, the Shanghai Composite couldn't end the session on a positive note, despite rumors that the Chinese central bank may cut interest rates over the weekend. Speaking of interest rates, the Bank of Japan's policy board voted unanimously to hold its key rate unchanged at 0.3%, as expected.

Across the pond in Europe, most stocks ticked higher after reports that American blue chip Citigroup may be sold. The gains came despite a bout of dismal economic data, with the euro-zone composite purchasing managers' index backpedaling to 39.7 in November, compared to 43.6 in October. Meanwhile, shares of U.K.-based Barclays (BCS) led the advancing issues, after one of its top shareholders, Legal & General, announced that it would support the financial firm's 7-billion pound plan to raise capital.

The U.S. Dollar Index (DX/Y) rose 0.9% to 88.10 on Thursday, as high-yield currencies such as the Australian dollar and the British pound came under heavy selling pressure. Sparking the decline in these currencies was a spike in concern for declining stock markets and an unraveling world economy. In fact, the U.S. dollar hit its highest level against the Swiss franc since July 2007 after the Swiss National Bank cut rates by an unexpected 1 percentage point. Against this backdrop, the euro rose to $1.252, while the dollar slipped to 94.90 yen.

The futures contract on the 30-year bond (US/1) soared 3-22/32 on Thursday, as Treasury prices rocketed higher, sending yields to multi-year lows. Sparking the surge was a report from the Labor Department showing that initial jobless claims rose to their highest level since 1992. Furthermore, a mass exodus from the equities market spurred a flight to safety, with many traders moving into the bond market. Treasurys were also lifted after the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said its diffusion index of manufacturing conditions fell to negative 39.3 in November from negative 37.5 in October. Readings below zero indicate contraction.

Commodity Corner

Gold futures finally caught a safe-haven lift from the growing economic concerns on Wall Street, rather than following suit with the plunging equities market. With U.S. stocks and crude oil both on the decline, the malleable metal was 1 of the few investment vehicles on the rise yesterday. By the close, December-dated gold added $12.70, or 1.7%, to settle at $748.70 an ounce.

Amid a seemingly endless barrage of dismal economic news, crude oil slumped on Thursday. In fact, the front-month contract fell below $50 per barrel and arrived at its lowest close since May 2005. Crude oil for December delivery fell $4, or 7.5%, to finish at $49.62 per barrel on its last day of trading as the front-month contract. The January 2009 contract, which assumes front-month status today, wrapped up the session at $49.42 per barrel. Meanwhile, analysts at Goldman Sachs said they were withdrawing all oil-trading recommendations due to the lack of potential upside for the commodity. Earlier this year, the brokerage firm predicted $200-per-barrel crude prices.

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