US Stock Futures Up Ahead Of Jobless Claims, Trade Balance Data

US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are economic data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 32 points to 14,297.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 2.30 points to 1,541.40. Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 7.75 points to 2,796.00. US stocks closed mostly higher on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 0.30% to 14,296.24, the S&P 500 index rising 0.11% to 1,541.46 and the Nasdaq 100 index dropping 0.05% to 3,222.37. Data on international trade gap for January, weekly jobless claims and nonfarm business productivity for the fourth quarter will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index will be released at 9:45 a.m. ET, while the EIA weekly report on natural gas stocks will be released at 10:30 a.m. ET. Data on Consumer credit for January will be released at 3:00 p.m. ET, while money supply data will be released at 4:30 p.m. ET. The ECB will announce its policy decision at 7:45 a.m. ET. PetSmart PETM issued a weak 2013 forecast. DryShips DRYS reported a wider-than-expected fourth-quarter adjusted loss. The Kroger Co KR is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.70 per share on revenue of $24.01 billion. Smithfield Foods SFD is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $0.51 per share on revenue of $3.53 billion. Ciena CIEN is projected to post a Q1 loss at $0.13 per share on revenue of $448.27 million. Navistar International NAV is expected to post a Q1 loss at $1.73 per share on revenue of $2.81 billion. H&R Block HRB is estimated to post a Q3 loss at $0.01 per share on revenue of $563.60 million. Ferrellgas Partners LP FGP is expected to report its Q2 earnings at $0.82 per share on revenue of $625.03 million. Finisar FNSR is expected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.16 per share on revenue of $238.36 million. IDT IDT is projected to post its Q2 earnings at $0.30 per share on revenue of $406.50 million. Thor Industries THO is projected to post its Q2 earnings at $0.38 per share on revenue of $715.73 million. Pandora Media P is estimated to post a Q4 loss at $0.05 per share on revenue of $122.81 million. Quiksilver ZQK is projected to post a Q1 loss at $0.07 per share on revenue of $465.00 million. John Wiley & Sons JW is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $0.83 per share on revenue of $455.95 million. European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index surged 0.20%, London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.44%, French CAC 40 Index rose 0.59% and German DAX 30 index surged 0.32%. Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 0.30%, China's Shanghai Composite falling 0.98% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropping 0.15%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declined 0.03% and India's Sensex climbed 0.84%. Gold for delivery in April gained 0.32% to trade at $1,580.00 an ounce on the Comex division of the NYMEX. Crude-oil futures rose 0.31% to trade at $90.71 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.