US Stock Futures Up Ahead Of Housing Starts Data

US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting housing starts data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 34 points to 13,311.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 2.90 points to 1,444.10. Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 10 points to 2,711.50. US stocks closed higher on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average surging 0.87% to 13,350.96, the S&P 500 index rising 1.15% to 1,446.79 and the Nasdaq 100 index gaining 1.46% to 3,054.53. Data on housing starts for November will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. FedEx

is estimated to report its Q2 earnings at $1.41 per share on revenue of $10.84 billion. Actuant

is expected to report its Q1 earnings at $0.50 per share on revenue of $396.37 million. Jabil Circuit

is expected to post its Q1 earnings at $0.56 per share on revenue of $4.41 billion. General Mills

is projected to report its Q2 earnings at $0.79 per share on revenue of $4.88 billion. Accenture plc

is expected to post its Q1 earnings at $1.04 per share on revenue of $7.29 billion. Bed Bath & Beyond

is projected to post its Q3 earnings at $1.02 per share on revenue of $2.73 billion. Steelcase

is expected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.21 per share on revenue of $722.10 million. Herman Miller

is estimated to post its Q2 earnings at $0.39 per share on revenue of $467.33 million. Paychex

is projected to post its Q2 earnings at $0.41 per share on revenue of $573.03 million. Navistar International

is estimated to report a Q4 loss at $1.12 per share on revenue of $3.18 billion. Oracle

reported better-than-expected fiscal second-quarter adjusted earnings. Energen

cut its 2012 and 2013 production forecast by 400,000 barrels of oil equivalent. European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.55%, London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.61%, French CAC 40 Index climbed 0.50% and German DAX 30 index rose 0.32%. Asian markets ended mostly higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rising 2.39%, China's Shanghai Composite dropping 0.01% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rising 0.49%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.57% and India's Sensex climbed 0.57%. The dollar index dropped 0.23% to trade at 79.13, down from 79.349 in North American trade late Tuesday.