US Stock Futures Slightly Higher Ahead Of JPMorgan Earnings

US stock futures are slightly higher this morning, as investors are awaiting earnings from JPMorgan Chase & Co

. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 16 points to 13,281.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 3.10 points to 1,431.50. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.25 points to 2,713.50. US stocks closed mostly lower on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 0.14% to 13,326.39, the S&P 500 index rising 0.02% to 1,432.84 and the Nasdaq 100 index falling 0.08% to 3,049.41. The Producer Price Index for September will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. However, the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for October will be released at 9:55 a.m. ET. JPMorgan Chase & Co is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $1.21 per share on revenue of $24.53 billion. iGATE

is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $0.37 per share on revenue of $277.21 million. Wells Fargo & Company

is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.87 per share on revenue of $21.47 billion. Webster Financial

is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.46 per share on revenue of $144.71 million. J.B. Hunt Transport Services

reported a 14% rise in its third-quarter earnings. Infosys Ltd

reported a 24% surge in its second-quarter profit. European markets were lower today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index fell 0.38%, London's FTSE 100 Index dropped 0.31%, French CAC 40 Index declined 0.39% and German DAX 30 index fell 0.46%. Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average dropping 0.15%, China's Shanghai Composite gaining 0.10% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rising 0.11%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.65% and India's Sensex dropped 0.78%. Nymex crude-oil futures dropped $0.20 to trade at $91.87 a barrel in electronic trade, while gold futures fell $1.70 to $1,768.90 an ounce. The dollar index (DXY) declined 0.2% to trade at 79.595. The euro gained 0.3% against the dollar to trade at $1.2969. The US dollar rose 0.07% against the Japanese yen to trade at ¥78.4250.