US Stock Futures Up; Economic Data In Focus

US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting economic data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 38 points to 12,644.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 3.40 points to 1,329.60. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 9 points to 2,544.00. US stocks closed higher on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 1.24% to 12,651.91, the S&P 500 index surging 1.08% to 1,329.10 and the Nasdaq 100 index gaining 0.63% to 2,836.33. The Empire State Index for June will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. Industrial production for May will be released at 9:15 a.m. ET, while the University of Michigan consumer-sentiment index for June will be released at 9:55 a.m. ET. II-VI IIVI lowered its forecast for fourth quarter and fiscal year 2012. Shares of Nokia NOK tumbled 15.77% yesterday after the company announced its plans to cut 10,000 jobs globally and shuffle its top management. Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim has bought an 8.4% stake in YPF YPF. Capstone Turbine CPST posted a narrower loss in the fourth quarter. European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.80%, London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.83%, French CAC 40 index rose 1.31% and German DAX 30 index surged 0.90%. Asian markets ended higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rising 0.01%, Chinese Shanghai Composite gaining 0.47% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rising 0.42%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index surged 2.26% and India's Sensex jumped 1.63%. Crude oil for July delivery gained $0.81 to $84.75 a barrel, while gold for August delivery surged $4.10 to $1,623.60 an ounce. The euro gained to $1.2631 versus the US dollar, up from $1.2613 in late North American trading on Thursday. The ICE dollar index (DXY) fell 0.07% 81.83, down from 81.917 on Thursday.