Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a higher open on Thursday, as investors eyed the release of U.S. jobless claims data later in the day, amid ongoing speculation over whether the Federal Reserve will soon scale back its stimulus program.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.32% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.31% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.38% increase.
Markets were jittery after two senior Fed officials said Tuesday that they would not rule out the withdrawal of stimulus measures at the bank’s September meeting.
Meanwhile, market sentiment found support after Chinese trade data showed that exports were up 5.1% from a year earlier in June, easing concerns over a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy.
Imports were 10.9% higher on a year-over-year basis, pointing to strong domestic demand.
Tech stocks were expected to be active, amid reports Apple is trying to force Samsung Electronics' mobile devices out of U.S. stores a week after dodging an iPhone 4 ban by a rare White House veto.
Apple shares were down 0.10% in pre-market trade.
Groupon skyrocketed 22.25% in early trading, after naming on Wednesday Eric Lefkofsky as chief executive officer, entrusting the future of the struggling daily-deals company to a controversial co-founder.
In the financial sector, JP Morgan dropped 0.90% pre-market, after saying that it is under federal criminal investigation for practices tied to sales of mortgage-backed bonds that the Justice Department has already concluded broke civil laws.
Other stocks likely to be in focus included Fannie Mae, Beam, Dean Foods, AES, Scripps Networks and Windstream, all scheduled to post results later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were lower. The EURO STOXX 50 climbed 0.63%, France’s CAC 40 gained 0.42%, Germany's DAX rose 0.38%, while Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.34%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.31%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index plummeted 1.59%.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.32% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.31% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.38% increase.
Markets were jittery after two senior Fed officials said Tuesday that they would not rule out the withdrawal of stimulus measures at the bank’s September meeting.
Meanwhile, market sentiment found support after Chinese trade data showed that exports were up 5.1% from a year earlier in June, easing concerns over a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy.
Imports were 10.9% higher on a year-over-year basis, pointing to strong domestic demand.
Tech stocks were expected to be active, amid reports Apple is trying to force Samsung Electronics' mobile devices out of U.S. stores a week after dodging an iPhone 4 ban by a rare White House veto.
Apple shares were down 0.10% in pre-market trade.
Groupon skyrocketed 22.25% in early trading, after naming on Wednesday Eric Lefkofsky as chief executive officer, entrusting the future of the struggling daily-deals company to a controversial co-founder.
In the financial sector, JP Morgan dropped 0.90% pre-market, after saying that it is under federal criminal investigation for practices tied to sales of mortgage-backed bonds that the Justice Department has already concluded broke civil laws.
Other stocks likely to be in focus included Fannie Mae, Beam, Dean Foods, AES, Scripps Networks and Windstream, all scheduled to post results later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were lower. The EURO STOXX 50 climbed 0.63%, France’s CAC 40 gained 0.42%, Germany's DAX rose 0.38%, while Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.34%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.31%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index plummeted 1.59%.