US Stock Futures Up On Bullish Sentiments

US stock futures rose this morning despite Thursday's disappointing economic reports. The market awaits the University of Michigan's consumer confidence report. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 11 points to 15,254.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 2.40 points to 1,652.90. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 2.25 points to 3,006.00. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 3 points to 15,248.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 2.90 points to 1,567.20. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 4.25 points to 2,816.75. Data on Consumer Settlement will be released at 9:55 a.m. ET, while the Leading Indicators Report at 10:00 a.m. ET, as well. Dell Inc. (DELL) reported a drastic drop in quarterly profits on Thursday. Dell shares closed at $13.43 yesterday. Caterpillar Inc. CAT and Mining Machinery Limited announced on Thursday that they have resolved all outstanding issues pertaining to the acquisition ERA and have reached a settlement. Caterpillar stocks closed at $86.78. Wall Street expects Stage Stores Inc. SSI to post its Q1 earnings at $0.09 per share on revenue of $ 388.43 million, today. Stage Stores stocks closed at $26.08 yesterday. Polycom, Inc. PLCM, announced yesterday that the company's Board of Directors has selected Kevin Parker as the new Chairman of the company effective from May 16, 2013. Polycom shares finished at $11.38 yesterday. Analysts expect Donaldson Company, Inc. DCI to report its third quarter earnings report at $0.48 per share on revenue of $ 659.41 million, today. Donaldson stocks closed at $38.10 yesterday. European markets were low today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index fell 00.40%, London's FTSE 100 Index climbed 0.15%, French CAC 40 Index declined 0.02% and German DAX 30 index fell 0.32%. Asian markets ended mostly higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rising 0.67%, China's Shanghai Composite climbing1.38% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rising 0.30%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rising 0.17% and India's Sensex dropping 0.32%.