Investing.com - U.S. stock futures were higher on Thursday, ahead of U.S. economic data but gains were seen as limited as concerns over Spain’s ongoing debt troubles persisted, despite initial relief following an auction of Spanish government bonds.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a rise of 0.58%, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.61% increase, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated 0.88% gain.
Spain raised slightly more than the full targeted amount of EUR2.5 billion, while the yield on the country’s 10-year bonds remained below the 6% level.
However, the results failed to ease concerns over the outlook for Spain, as Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government attempts to reduce one of the largest deficits in the euro zone, amid fears that the economy is entering a recession.
Energy stocks were expected to be active after U.S. oil major ExxonMobil and Russia's Rosneft ROSN.M unveiled an offshore exploration partnership on Wednesday that could invest over USD500 billion in developing Russia's vast energy reserves in the Arctic and Black Sea.
Exxon shares edged down 0.07% in after hour trading.
Elsewhere, EBay saw shares surge 8.03% in pre-market trade after saying quarterly sales and profit grew more than expected and after raising its 2012 forecasts, citing growth in the e-commerce company's Marketplaces and PayPal businesses.
Marriott International was also slated to move higher after it reported a higher quarterly profit late on Wednesday as corporate business strengthened, and the hotelier raised its forecast for a key revenue metric.
In health-care companies, Illumina Inc. was likely to be active after Roche Holding abandoned a USD6.7 billion bid for the U.S. company because investors were concerned over the viability of the firm’s gene-mapping technology.
Other stocks in focus included Morgan Stanley, Microsoft, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Verizon and DuPont, all announcing results later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were higher. The EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.44%, France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.65%, Germany's DAX added 0.58%, while Britain's FTSE 100 climbed 0.72%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index eased up 0.3%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index slumped 0.8%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release official data on unemployment claims, followed by industry data on existing home sales and a report on manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia area.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a rise of 0.58%, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.61% increase, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated 0.88% gain.
Spain raised slightly more than the full targeted amount of EUR2.5 billion, while the yield on the country’s 10-year bonds remained below the 6% level.
However, the results failed to ease concerns over the outlook for Spain, as Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government attempts to reduce one of the largest deficits in the euro zone, amid fears that the economy is entering a recession.
Energy stocks were expected to be active after U.S. oil major ExxonMobil and Russia's Rosneft ROSN.M unveiled an offshore exploration partnership on Wednesday that could invest over USD500 billion in developing Russia's vast energy reserves in the Arctic and Black Sea.
Exxon shares edged down 0.07% in after hour trading.
Elsewhere, EBay saw shares surge 8.03% in pre-market trade after saying quarterly sales and profit grew more than expected and after raising its 2012 forecasts, citing growth in the e-commerce company's Marketplaces and PayPal businesses.
Marriott International was also slated to move higher after it reported a higher quarterly profit late on Wednesday as corporate business strengthened, and the hotelier raised its forecast for a key revenue metric.
In health-care companies, Illumina Inc. was likely to be active after Roche Holding abandoned a USD6.7 billion bid for the U.S. company because investors were concerned over the viability of the firm’s gene-mapping technology.
Other stocks in focus included Morgan Stanley, Microsoft, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Verizon and DuPont, all announcing results later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were higher. The EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.44%, France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.65%, Germany's DAX added 0.58%, while Britain's FTSE 100 climbed 0.72%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index eased up 0.3%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index slumped 0.8%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release official data on unemployment claims, followed by industry data on existing home sales and a report on manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia area.