Market Notes - December 18, 2009

Stocks were poised for early gains after finishing lower Thursday. The economic calendar has no reports of note today and only a handful of earnings results. However, higher than normal volatility and volume could spark wide swings today as Wall Street goes through its final “quadruple witching” day of 2009, with the simultaneous expiration of stock index futures, stock index options, single stock futures, and stock options.