A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Signal Higher Start On Wall Street

Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 56 points to 25,137.00, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures rose 6.25 points to 2,712.50. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index surged 22 points to 6,938.00.

Oil prices traded lower as Brent crude futures fell 0.4 percent to trade at $61.85 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures fell 0.9 percent to trade at $52.23 a barrel. The Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the latest week is will be released at 1:00 p.m. ET.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were higher today, with the Spanish Ibex Index rising 0.84 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index gaining 0.67 percent and German DAX 30 index gained 0.77 percent. The UK's FTSE index was trading higher by 0.29 percent, while French CAC 40 Index gained 0.83 percent.

In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average fell 2.01 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 0.71 percent, China’s Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.36 percent and India’s BSE Sensex slipped 0.41 percent.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Canaccord Genuity upgraded Tesla Inc TSLA from Hold to Buy.

Tesla shares rose 2.2 percent to $312.62 in pre-market trading.

Breaking News

• Ingersoll-Rand PLC IR announced plans to acquire Precision Flow Systems from The Carlyle Group LP CG for $1.45 billion.
• Restaurant Brands International Inc QSR reported stronger-than-expected results for its fourth quarter.
• According to a Financial Times report, Smith & Nephew is in talks to buy NuVasive, Inc. NUVA for over $3 billion.
• Morgan Stanley MS announced plans to acquire Solium Capital for C$19.15 per share.