A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Rise Ahead Of Earnings, Economic Data

Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade, ahead of earnings from several major companies. Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell is set to speak in Washington, D.C. at 8:00 a.m. ET. Data on initial jobless claims for the latest week will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET, while the Philadelphia Fed general conditions index for April is schedule for release at 8:30 a.m. ET. The index of leading economic indicators for March will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 42 points to 20,377.00, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures rose 6.50 points to 2,340.25. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index gained 17.75 points to 5,415.50.

Oil prices traded higher as Brent crude futures rose 0.98 percent to trade at $53.45 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures rose 0.95 percent to trade at $50.92 a barrel. The Energy Information Administration’s weekly report on natural gas stocks is schedule for release at 10:30 a.m. ET.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were mostly higher today, with the Spanish Ibex Index rising 0.43 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index rising 0.01 percent and German DAX 30 index gaining 0.01 percent. The UK's FTSE index was trading lower by 0.24 percent, while French CAC 40 Index rose 0.74 percent.

In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average fell 0.01 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index climbed 0.97 percent, China’s Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.04 percent and India’s BSE Sensex rose 0.29 percent.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Atlantic Equities upgraded Goldman Sachs Group Inc GS from Neutral to Overweight.

Goldman Sachs shares rose 0.40 percent to $214.95 in pre-market trading.

Breaking news

• Philip Morris International Inc. PM reported weaker-than-expected earnings for its first quarter on Thursday.



• eBay Inc EBAY reported better-than-expected earnings for its first quarter earnings, but issued a weak profit forecast for the current quarter. The company also announced it added 2 million buyers in the quarter.



• Danaher Corporation DHR reported upbeat earnings for its first quarter on Thursday.



• American Express Company AXP posted stronger-than-expected profit for its first quarter on Wednesday.