US Stock Futures Edge Higher Ahead Of Empire State Manufacturing Index

US stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade. The Empire State manufacturing index for November will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 27.5 points to 17,233.5, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index futures rose 4.50 points to 2,023.00. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index gained 8 points to 4,510.00.

European markets were higher today, with the Spanish Ibex Index rising 0.02 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index surging 0.37 percent and German DAX 30 index gaining 0.48 percent. French CAC 40 Index climbed 0.15 percent and London's FTSE 100 Index rose 0.40 percent. In Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei Stock fell 1.04 percent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dipped 1.72 percent, China's Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.73 percent and India's BSE Sensex climbed 0.58 percent.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs downgraded

from Neutral to Sell and lowered the price target to $28.00. Progressive shares closed at $5.84 on Thursday.