What to watch today: Stock futures higher after turning in a strong first half of 2021

What to watch today: Stock futures higher after turning in a strong first half of 2021

BY THE NUMBERS Thursday on the first day of the third quarter on Wall Street. Investors hope the second half of 2021 remains as strong as the first half. The on Wednesday rose 210 points, moving within 0.8% of its latest record close in early May. The on Wednesday ticked higher for its fifth-straight record close. The fell slightly from a record close in the prior session. (CNBC) * (CNBC) , the S&P 500 was up 14.4% year to date. The Dow and Nasdaq were each up more than 12% so far in 2021. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq turned in gains for June. The Dow fell modestly. All three benchmarks were up solidly in the second quarter. (CNBC) U.S. oil prices rose around 2.5% Thursday to above $75 per barrel, . As of Wednesday's settle, crude was up strongly in June and in the second quarter. WTI was up more than 51% for the year. (CNBC) fell roughly 3% on Thursday but . The world's biggest cryptocurrency by market value, which saw an all-time high in April near $65,000 and last week, closed out the first half of the year down about 47% from its record. (CNBC) The ,