A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Gain Ahead Of Earnings, Inflation Data

Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade, ahead of earnings reports from several companies. The Consumer Price Index for January will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Raphael Bostic is set to speak in Dublin, Ireland at 7:15 a.m. ET, while Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank President Loretta Mester will speak in Lexington, KY at 8:50 a.m. ET. Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Patrick Harker is set to speak in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 12:00 p.m. ET.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 62 points to 25,468, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures rose 5 points to 2,749.75. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index surged 25 points to 7,043.50. The Energy Information Administration’s weekly report on petroleum inventories in the U.S. is schedule for release at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Oil prices traded higher as Brent crude futures rose 1.6 percent to trade at $63.40 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures gained 1.2 percent to trade at $53.76 a barrel.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were higher today, with the Spanish Ibex Index falling 0.01 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index gaining 0.3 percent and German DAX 30 index gained 0.1 percent. The UK's FTSE index was trading higher by 0.6 percent, while French CAC 40 Index gained 0.2 percent.

In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average rose 1.3 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 1.2 percent, China’s Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.8 percent and India’s BSE Sensex dropped 0.99 percent.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at RBC Capital upgraded Shopify Inc SHOP from Sector Perform to Outperform and raised the price target from $180 to $230.

Shopify shares rose 2.6 percent to $180.15 in pre-market trading.

Breaking News

• Groupon Inc GRPN reported weaker-than-expected earnings for its fourth quarter on Tuesday.
• Clinigen agreed to acquire US rights to Novartis AG’s NVS cancer drug Proleukin for $210 million.
• Colfax Corp CFX reported upbeat results for its fourth quarter.
• Activision Blizzard Inc. ATVI reported upbeat earnings for its fourth quarter, while sales missed expectations. The company also issued weak full-year 2019 guidance. The company also announced it will cut staff by 8 percent.