A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Rise Ahead Of Factory Orders Data

Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade. Data on factory orders for April will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 130 points to 24,756.00, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures rose 9.70 points to 2,743.00. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index gained 28.25 points to 7,111.00.

Oil prices traded lower as Brent crude futures fell 1.46 percent to trade at $75.67 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures dropped 0.65 percent to trade at $65.38 a barrel.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were higher today, with the Spanish Ibex Index rising 1.8 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index gaining 0.51 percent and German DAX 30 index gaining 0.14 percent. The UK's FTSE index was trading higher by 0.84 percent, while French CAC 40 Index rose 0.36 percent.

In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average rose 1.37 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index climbed 1.66 percent, China’s Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.52 percent and India’s BSE Sensex fell 0.32 percent.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Credit Suisse upgraded Whirlpool Corporation WHR from Neutral to Outperform.

Whirlpool shares rose 1 percent to $146.77 in pre-market trading.

Breaking news

• Nomad Foods Limited NOMD announced plans to acquire Aunt Bessie's for around EUR 240 million.



• Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. AMPH disclosed that it has received the FDA approval for semi-purified heparin at its subsidiary, Amphastar Nanjing Pharmaceuticals.



• Insulet Corporation PODD disclosed that its Omnipod DASH Insulin Management System has received the FDA 510(k) clearance.



• Teladoc, Inc. TDOC reported that it has acquired Advance Medical for $292 million in cash and $60 million in stock.