US Stock Futures Up; H-P Posts Upbeat Results

US stock futures are higher this morning, after Hewlett-Packard Co HPQ posted better-than-expected fiscal first-quarter results. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 30 points to 13,902.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 4.90 points to 1,506.00. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 9.50 points to 2,723.50. US stocks closed lower on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 0.34% to 13,880.62, the S&P 500 index falling 0.63% to 1,502.42 and the Nasdaq 100 index tumbling 1.04% to 3,131.49. Federal Reserve Gov. Jerome Powell will join Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren in a panel discussion at University of Chicago Booth School's Monetary Policy Forum in New York. Hewlett-Packard posted better-than-expected fiscal first-quarter results and issued an upbeat outlook for the fiscal second quarter. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co KKR has made a $75-a-share bid for Gardner Denver GDI, two people familiar with the matter said. Abercrombie & Fitch Co ANF is expected to report its Q4 earnings at $1.96 per share on revenue of $1.49 billion. Barnes Group B is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.51 per share on revenue of $326.20 million. Charter Communications CHTR is projected to post a Q4 loss at $0.28 per share on revenue of $1.91 billion. The Interpublic Group of Companies IPG is expected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.53 per share on revenue of $2.07 billion. Gardner Denver GDI is estimated to post its Q4 earnings at $1.33 per share on revenue of $558.08 million. The Washington Post Company WPO is projected to report its Q4 earnings. Warner Chilcott plc WCRX is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.73 per share on revenue of $565.21 million. Pinnacle West Capital PNW is projected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.17 per share on revenue of $701.01 million. Portland General Electric Company POR is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.41 per share on revenue of $489.19 million. European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.67%, London's FTSE 100 Index surged 0.63%, French CAC 40 Index rose 1.26% and German DAX 30 index gained 0.48%. Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 0.68%, China's Shanghai Composite falling 0.51% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rising 0.76%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index tumbled 0.54% and India's Sensex fell 0.04%. The euro gained 0.14% against the dollar to trade at $1.3208. The US dollar rose 0.19% versus the Japanese yen to trade at ¥93.2850, up from ¥93.11. The ICE dollar index (DXY) declined 0.06% to 81.31, down from 81.377 in North America late Thursday.