US Stock Futures Edge Higher After Alcoa Earnings

US stock futures are slightly higher this morning after Alcoa's

results. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 16 points to 13,283.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 0.90 points to 1,453.20. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.75 points to 2,714.75. US stocks closed lower on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 0.41% to 13,328.85, the S&P 500 index falling 0.32% to 1,457.15 and the Nasdaq 100 index declining 0.23% to 3,091.81. The MBA purchase applications index will be released at 7:00 a.m. ET. Constellation Brands

is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.55 per share on revenue of $751.83 million. Texas Industries

is estimated to post a Q2 loss at $0.32 per share on revenue of $161.66 million. The Greenbrier Companies

is expected to report its Q1 earnings at $0.31 per share on revenue of $400.42 million. Helen of Troy

is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $1.13 per share on revenue of $379.23 million. Ruby Tuesday

is expected to post a Q2 loss at $0.06 per share on revenue of $305.01 million. PriceSmart

is estimated to post its Q1 earnings at $0.62 per share on revenue of $535.38 million. Shaw Communications

is expected to report its Q1 earnings at $0.45 per share on revenue of $1.31 billion. Alcoa issued an upbeat demand forecast. The company posted a profit of $242 million in the fourth quarter. Dish Network

offered to acquire Clearwire

for $5.15 billion. Seagate Technology

lifted its sales view for the second quarter. European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.23%, London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.27%, German DAX 30 Index climbed 0.05% and French CAC 40 Index rose 0.11%. Asian markets ended mostly higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rising 0.67%, China's Shanghai Composite declining 0.03% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index rising 0.38%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 0.46% and India's Sensex dropped 0.38%. Crude oil for February delivery dropped $0.20 to trade at $92.95 a barrel. The ICE dollar index (DXY) gained 0.15% to trade at 80.45, versus 80.323 in late North American trading Tuesday.