US Stock Futures Up Ahead Of Economic Data

US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting economic data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 17 points to 13,945.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 2.20 points to 1,509.00. Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 4.75 points to 2,742.00. US stocks closed mostly higher on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 0.05% to 13,986.52, the S&P 500 index rising 0.05% to 1,512.12 and the Nasdaq 100 index dropping 0.10% to 3,168.48. Data on weekly jobless claims and nonfarm business productivity for the fourth quarter will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. However, data on consumer credit for December will be released at 3:00 p.m. ET. The European Central Bank will announce its policy decision at 7:45 a.m. ET. Sprint Nextel

is estimated to post a Q4 loss at $0.46 per share on revenue of $8.92 billion. Advance Auto Parts

is expected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.76 per share on revenue of $1.33 billion. Cigna

is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $1.48 per share on revenue of $6.72 billion. Bunge

is projected to report its Q4 earnings at $2.36 per share on revenue of $18.81 billion. The New York Times Company

is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.31 per share on revenue of $570.42 million. Hasbro

is expected to post its Q4 earnings at $1.20 per share on revenue of $1.35 billion. Coca-Cola Enterprises

is expected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.44 per share on revenue of $1.92 billion. LinkedIn

is projected to post its Q4 EPS at $0.19 on revenue of $279.50 million. Exelon

is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.64 per share on revenue of $8.43 billion. Towers Watson & Co

is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $1.26 per share on revenue of $897.09 million. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries

is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $1.33 per share on revenue of $5.26 billion. News Corp

reported higher fiscal second-quarter profit and revenue. However, the company lowered its outlook for annual earnings. Visa

reported a 25% rise in its first-quarter profit. European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.31%, London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.11%, German DAX 30 Index rose 0.29% and French CAC 40 Index climbed 0.38%. Asian markets ended mostly lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average falling 0.93%, China's Shanghai Composite dropping 0.66% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index gaining 0.31%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declined 0.34% and India's Sensex fell 0.30%. Crude-oil futures for March gained $0.29 to trade at $96.92 a barrel. The euro rose 0.32% against the dollar to trade at $1.3567, versus $1.3522 late Wednesday.