Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a higher open on Thursday, as investors were eyeing the release of U.S. data later in the day, although concerns over the handling of Spain's debt crisis continued to weigh.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.22% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.31% increase, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.39% gain.
Sentiment found some support after International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde earlier said that struggling euro zone members such as Greece and Spain should be given more time to cut their budget deficits.
Investors remained cautious however, after ratings agency Standard & Poor's cut its rating on Spain to BBB-minus from BBB-plus with a negative outlook late Wednesday, citing "mounting risks to Spain’s public finances."
The ratings agency also warned that the capacity of Spanish political institutions to deal with the challenges presented by the current fiscal and economic crisis is declining.
Coca-Cola was expected to be active as the world’s largest soft-drinks maker was reportedly in discussions to invest about USD10 million in Spotify Ltd., the subscription music-streaming service.
Airline companies were also likely to be in focus, as Alaska Air Group Inc, parent company of Alaska Airlines, is about to order 50 Boeing 737 single-aisle jetliners, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In the tech sector, data released by research house Gartner on Wednesday showed that China's Lenovo Group edged out U.S. giant Hewlett-Packard to become the world's number 1 PC maker in the third quarter. Shares in Hewlett-Packard were up 0.28% in pre-market trade.
Elsewhere, U.S. lenders were slated to remain in the spotlight amid reports Federal authorities are now using taped phone conversations to build criminal cases related to the multibillion-dollar trading loss at JPMorgan, focusing on calls in which employees openly discussed how to value the troubled bets in a favorable way.
In the same sector, Raymond James Financial analyst William Wallace rated First Financial Holdings "market perform", a recommendation similar to hold.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were higher. The EURO STOXX 50 climbed 0.53%, France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.60%, Germany's DAX rallied 0.72%, while Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.62%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.38%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index lost 0.58%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish government data on the trade balance, in addition to official data on initial jobless claims, import prices and crude oil stockpiles.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.22% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.31% increase, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.39% gain.
Sentiment found some support after International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde earlier said that struggling euro zone members such as Greece and Spain should be given more time to cut their budget deficits.
Investors remained cautious however, after ratings agency Standard & Poor's cut its rating on Spain to BBB-minus from BBB-plus with a negative outlook late Wednesday, citing "mounting risks to Spain’s public finances."
The ratings agency also warned that the capacity of Spanish political institutions to deal with the challenges presented by the current fiscal and economic crisis is declining.
Coca-Cola was expected to be active as the world’s largest soft-drinks maker was reportedly in discussions to invest about USD10 million in Spotify Ltd., the subscription music-streaming service.
Airline companies were also likely to be in focus, as Alaska Air Group Inc, parent company of Alaska Airlines, is about to order 50 Boeing 737 single-aisle jetliners, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In the tech sector, data released by research house Gartner on Wednesday showed that China's Lenovo Group edged out U.S. giant Hewlett-Packard to become the world's number 1 PC maker in the third quarter. Shares in Hewlett-Packard were up 0.28% in pre-market trade.
Elsewhere, U.S. lenders were slated to remain in the spotlight amid reports Federal authorities are now using taped phone conversations to build criminal cases related to the multibillion-dollar trading loss at JPMorgan, focusing on calls in which employees openly discussed how to value the troubled bets in a favorable way.
In the same sector, Raymond James Financial analyst William Wallace rated First Financial Holdings "market perform", a recommendation similar to hold.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were higher. The EURO STOXX 50 climbed 0.53%, France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.60%, Germany's DAX rallied 0.72%, while Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.62%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.38%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index lost 0.58%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish government data on the trade balance, in addition to official data on initial jobless claims, import prices and crude oil stockpiles.