Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a higher open on Thursday, as the possibility for fresh easing measures by the Federal Reserve in the near future boosted sentiment, while investors awaited the release of U.S. economic reports later in the day.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.22% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.24% increase, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.23% gain.
The Fed minutes showed that many policymakers think additional easing may be warranted "fairly soon" unless there is evidence of a "substantial and sustainable" strengthening in the economic recovery.
The possibility for a third round of stimulus from the U.S. central bank overshadowed weak economic data out of the euro zone and China.
A report earlier showed that manufacturing activity in the euro zone improved in August, but remained in contraction territory for the 12th consecutive month, while service sector activity slumped to a two-month low.
A separate report showed that manufacturing activity in China slumped to a nine-month low in August, adding to concerns over a slowdown in the world’s second largest economy.
Aircraft companies were expected to be active, after Australia’s Qantas Airways posted its first annual loss in at least 17 years, leading it to cancel an order for a new fleet of 35 Boeing 787-9 aircraft, worth USD8.5 billion.
Separately, Boeing's second-largest union, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, said it had filed a complaint against the plane maker, alleging it had violated labor law during an employee orientation meeting.
The aircraft giant was also among a list of firms mentioned in a Securities and Exchange Commission rule adopted on Wednesday, saying that they must scrutinize their purchases of four metals to make sure they don’t help fund human-rights abuses in Africa.
More precisely, the regulator instructed companies that build products with tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold to make “reasonable” attempts to find out if the materials came from Democratic Republic of Congo mines supporting violent armed groups.
In other news, Apple, which was also included in the SEC list, was slated to pursue its rising streak on Thursday, as shares climbed 0.52% in early trading, while jurors were set to begin their second day of deliberations in the multibillion dollar patent infringement case opposing the iPhone maker to Korean rival Samsung Electronics.
Elsewhere in the tech sector, Hewlett-Packard shares dove 5.36% pre-market after suffering another quarter of slumping demand for personal computers and services aimed at businesses.
According to a Bloomberg report, the company’s weak results underscored the turnaround challenge facing CEO Meg Whitman.
Other stocks in focus included Hormel Foods, Big Lots and Salesforce.com, due to report earnings later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were higher. The EURO STOXX 50 added 0.11%, France’s CAC 40 edged up 0.15%, Germany's DAX rose 0.17%, while Britain's FTSE 100 climbed 0.40%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index jumped 1.23%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index advanced 0.51%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release its weekly government report on initial jobless claims, followed by preliminary data on manufacturing activity and official data on new home sales.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.22% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.24% increase, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.23% gain.
The Fed minutes showed that many policymakers think additional easing may be warranted "fairly soon" unless there is evidence of a "substantial and sustainable" strengthening in the economic recovery.
The possibility for a third round of stimulus from the U.S. central bank overshadowed weak economic data out of the euro zone and China.
A report earlier showed that manufacturing activity in the euro zone improved in August, but remained in contraction territory for the 12th consecutive month, while service sector activity slumped to a two-month low.
A separate report showed that manufacturing activity in China slumped to a nine-month low in August, adding to concerns over a slowdown in the world’s second largest economy.
Aircraft companies were expected to be active, after Australia’s Qantas Airways posted its first annual loss in at least 17 years, leading it to cancel an order for a new fleet of 35 Boeing 787-9 aircraft, worth USD8.5 billion.
Separately, Boeing's second-largest union, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, said it had filed a complaint against the plane maker, alleging it had violated labor law during an employee orientation meeting.
The aircraft giant was also among a list of firms mentioned in a Securities and Exchange Commission rule adopted on Wednesday, saying that they must scrutinize their purchases of four metals to make sure they don’t help fund human-rights abuses in Africa.
More precisely, the regulator instructed companies that build products with tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold to make “reasonable” attempts to find out if the materials came from Democratic Republic of Congo mines supporting violent armed groups.
In other news, Apple, which was also included in the SEC list, was slated to pursue its rising streak on Thursday, as shares climbed 0.52% in early trading, while jurors were set to begin their second day of deliberations in the multibillion dollar patent infringement case opposing the iPhone maker to Korean rival Samsung Electronics.
Elsewhere in the tech sector, Hewlett-Packard shares dove 5.36% pre-market after suffering another quarter of slumping demand for personal computers and services aimed at businesses.
According to a Bloomberg report, the company’s weak results underscored the turnaround challenge facing CEO Meg Whitman.
Other stocks in focus included Hormel Foods, Big Lots and Salesforce.com, due to report earnings later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were higher. The EURO STOXX 50 added 0.11%, France’s CAC 40 edged up 0.15%, Germany's DAX rose 0.17%, while Britain's FTSE 100 climbed 0.40%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index jumped 1.23%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index advanced 0.51%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release its weekly government report on initial jobless claims, followed by preliminary data on manufacturing activity and official data on new home sales.