A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Rise; Crude Oil Up Over 1%

Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade. Data on import prices and export prices for January will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET, while the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for February is schedule for release 10:00 a.m. ET. The U.S. Treasury budget data for January is schedule for release 2:00 p.m. ET.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 26 points to 20,162.00, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures rose 2 points to 2,306.25. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index gained 6 points to 5,217.75.

Oil prices traded higher as Brent crude futures gained 1.17 percent to trade at $56.28 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures rose 1.15 percent to trade at $53.61 a barrel. The Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the recent week will be released at 1:00 p.m. ET.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were mostly lower today, with the Spanish Ibex Index dropping 0.64 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index falling 0.12 percent and German DAX 30 index gaining 0.18 percent. The UK's FTSE index was trading higher by 0.36 percent, while French CAC 40 Index fell 0.14 percent.

In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average rose 2.49 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index climbed 0.21 percent, China’s Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.42 percent and India’s BSE Sensex rose 0.02 percent.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Raymond James downgraded Twitter Inc TWTR from Market Perform to Underperform.

Twitter shares fell 1.52 percent to $16.16 in pre-market trading.

Breaking news

• NVIDIA Corporation NVDA reported stronger-than-expected results for its fourth quarter on Thursday.



• Activision Blizzard Inc ATVI reported upbeat revenue for its fourth quarter and lifted its quarterly dividend. The company also disclosed a two-year $1 billion stock buyback plan.



• Mead Johnson Nutrition CO MJN agreed to be acquired by Reckitt Benckiser for $90 per share in cash.



• Expedia Inc EXPE reported weaker-than-expected earnings for its fourth quarter on Thursday.