US Stock Futures Edge Higher Ahead Of Economic Data

US stock futures traded slightly higher in early pre-market trade. Data on consumer spending for January will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET, while the Markit PMI manufacturing index for February will be released at 9:45 a.m. ET. The ISM manufacturing composite index for February and construction spending data for January will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 7 points to 18,134.00, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index futures rose 0.30 points to 2,103.10. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index gained 5.25 points to 4,447.75.

European markets were lower today, with the Spanish Ibex Index dropping 0.21%, STOXX Europe 600 Index falling 0.43% and German DAX 30 index dropping 0.03%. French CAC 40 Index dipped 0.71% and London's FTSE 100 Index fell 0.12%. In Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.15%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index climbed 0.26%, China's Shanghai Composite Index climbed 0.78% and India's BSE Sensex jumped 0.33%.

Analysts at Atlantic Equities downgraded International Business Machines Corporation

from Neutral to Underweight, according to sources. IBM's shares climbed 0.67% to close at $161.94 on Friday.