US Stock Futures Up Ahead Of Economic Data

US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting economic data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 25 points to 14,849.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 2.80 points to 1,598.30. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 5.25 points to 2,888.75. US stocks closed higher on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average surging 1.02% to 14,910.14, the S&P 500 index gaining 0.96% to 1,603.26 and the Nasdaq 100 index rising 0.85% to 3,376.22. Data on weekly jobless claims, and personal income and outlays 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 pending home sales index for May will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. The EIA weekly report on natural gas stocks will be released at 10:30 a.m. ET, while the Kansas City Fed manufacturing index for June will be released at 11:00 a.m. ET. Progress Software

reported upbeat fiscal second-quarter results and announced its plans to repurchase an additional $100 million of its common stock by December 31, 2013. Paychex

reported weak fourth-quarter profit. Commercial Metals Company

is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.18 per share on revenue of $1.93 billion. McCormick & Company

is projected to report its Q2 earnings at $0.61 per share on revenue of $1.01 billion. ConAgra Foods

is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.59 per share on revenue of $4.60 billion. KB Home

is projected to report a Q2 loss at $0.07 per share on revenue of $450.80 million. Accenture plc

is estimated to post its Q3 earnings at $1.13 per share on revenue of $7.42 billion. Shaw Communications

is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.44 per share on revenue of $1.31 billion. Worthington Industries

is projected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.65 per share on revenue of $699.55 million. Nike

is expected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.74 per share on revenue of $6.64 billion. European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index surged 1.40%, London's FTSE 100 index gained 0.95%, French CAC 40 Index climbed 1.71% and German DAX 30 index rose 1.29%. Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average falling 1.04%, China's Shanghai Composite dropping 0.41% and Australia's ASX/S&P500 rising 1.60%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 2.43% and India's Sensex dropped 0.48%.