A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Surge Ahead Of Durable-Goods Orders Data

Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade. Data on durable goods orders for April will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 162 points to 25,625, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures rose 17.85 points to 2,837.25. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index gained 43.25 points to 7,354.25.

Oil prices traded higher as Brent crude futures rose 1.2 percent to trade at $68.55 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures rose 1.2 percent to trade at $58.58 a barrel. The Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the latest week is schedule for release at 1:00 p.m. ET.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were higher today, with the Spanish Ibex Index rising 1 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index climbed 0.8 percent and German DAX 30 index gained 0.9 percent. The UK's FTSE index was trading higher by 0.6 percent, while French CAC 40 Index rose 0.9 percent.

In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average fell 0.16 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index climbed 0.32 percent, China’s Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.02 percent and India’s BSE Sensex surged 1.61 percent.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at DA Davidson downgraded Avon Products, Inc. AVP from Buy to Neutral and lowered the price target from $4.75 to $3.6.

Avon Products shares rose 0.8 percent to $3.63 in pre-market trading.

Breaking News

• Hibbett Sports, Inc. HIBB reported better-than-expected earnings for its first quarter and raised its FY20 forecast.
• Foot Locker, Inc. FL reported downbeat results for its first quarter.
• Buckle Inc BKE reported weaker-than-expected earnings for its first quarter, but sales exceeded views.
• Autodesk, Inc. ADSK reported weaker-than-expected results for its first quarter on Thursday.