US Stock Futures Up Ahead Of ISM Data

US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting the ISM index. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 34 points to 14,150.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 3.50 points to 1,529.20. Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 8.50 points to 2,768.50. US stocks closed higher on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 0.27% to 14,127.82, the S&P 500 index rising 0.46% to 1,525.20 and the Nasdaq 100 index climbing 0.39% to 3,182.03. The ICSC-Goldman store index will be released at 7:45 a.m. ET, while the ISM non-manufacturing index for February will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. Santarus

reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results. Shares of J.C. Penney Co

declined in the after-hours trading session Monday on reports that a stakeholder is selling a large block of shares in the retailer. MEMC Electronic Materials

appointed Randy H. Zwirn to its Board of Directors. Calavo Growers

is projected to report its Q1 earnings at $0.26 per share on revenue of $126.68 million. VeriFone Systems

is expected to post its Q1 earnings at $0.49 per share on revenue of $431.47 million. Checkpoint Systems

is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.17 per share on revenue of $207.34 million. AeroVironment

is expected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.37 per share on revenue of $89.02 million. H&E Equipment Services

is projected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.30 per share on revenue of $230.44 million. Ferro

is estimated to post a Q4 loss at $0.04 per share on revenue of $392.50 million. Smith & Wesson Holding

is expected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.23 per share on revenue of $133.68 million. NCI Building Systems

is projected to post its Q1 earnings at $0.00 per share on revenue of $299.84 million. European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index surged 1.21%, London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.75%, French CAC 40 Index rose 1.19% and German DAX 30 index surged 1.49%. Asian markets ended higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 0.27%, China's Shanghai Composite surging 2.33% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rising 1.19%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 0.10% and India's Sensex climbed 1.40%. Gold for delivery in April gained $8.80 to trade at $1,581.20 an ounce in electronic trading. The ICE dollar index (DXY) declined 0.05% to trade at 82.12, down from 82.214 late Monday.