US Stock Futures Up Ahead Of Jobless Claims, ECB Meeting

US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting weekly jobless claims data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 63 points to 14,547.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 7.70 points to 1,555.80. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 14 points to 2,801.00. US stocks closed lower on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 0.76% to 14,550.35, the S&P 500 index declining 1.05% to 1,553.69 and the Nasdaq 100 index falling 1.11% to 3,218.60. The Bank of England will deliver a decision on its monetary policy meeting at 7 a.m. ET, while the ECB is expected to deliver its decision at 7:45 a.m. ET. Data on weekly jobless claims will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET, while the EIA report on natural gas stocks will be released at 10:30 a.m. ET. Mitcham Industries MIND reported weak fiscal fourth-quarter results. CapLease LSE commenced a public offering of 6,500,000 shares of its common stock. The Greenbrier Companies GBX is expected to report its Q2 earnings at $0.37 per share on revenue of $442.91 million. International Speedway ISCA is projected to report its Q1 earnings at $0.36 per share on revenue of $126.50 million. RPM International RPM is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $0.06 per share on revenue of $841.36 million. Franklin Covey Co FC is projected to post its Q2 earnings at $0.11 per share on revenue of $42.71 million. Xyratex XRTX is estimated to post a Q1 loss at $0.18 per share on revenue of $177.31 million. WD-40 Company WDFC is estimated to post its Q2 earnings at $0.56 per share on revenue of $87.37 million. European markets were mostly higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.05%, London's FTSE 100 Index dropped 0.09%, French CAC 40 Index rose 0.76% and German DAX 30 index gained 0.44%. Asian markets ended mostly lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rising 2.20%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropping 0.95% and India's Sensex tumbling 1.53%.