* Crude oil, gold rally as euro zone fears ease
* GM to begin trading after historic IPO
* Jobless claims due, expected to rise
* Futures up: Dow 91 pts, S&P 11.9 pts, Nasdaq 27 pts
* For up-to-the-minute market news see [STXNEWS/US]
(Adds quote, updates prices)
By Ryan Vlastelica
NEW YORK, Nov 18 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures followed global markets sharply higher on Thursday on expectations Ireland will get a giant loan to ease its debt crisis.
Ireland's central bank chief said he expected the country to receive tens of billions of euros in loans from European partners and the International Monetary Fund to help shore up its shattered banks and stabilize the economy. For details, see [ID:nLDE6AH0HV]
U.S.-listed shares of Bank of Ireland
Concerns over European sovereign debt woes have weighed on equities in recent sessions, with the S&P 500 down nearly 4 percent since Nov. 5.
"It seems that Europe will come to the aid of the banks that hold Irish paper. That's giving Europe a good day. We're bouncing higher on that," said John Brady, senior vice president at MF Global in Chicago.
Brady said there were still countries in the euro zone that had sovereign debt issues, and that "once the euphoria about Ireland fades we'll be talking about places where there is no euphoria to get excited about."
S&P 500 futures
The U.S. dollar fell 0.7 percent as investors, while crude oil futures gained 1.5 percent and gold climbed about 1 percent.
Adding to the positive sentiment, General Motors Co [GM.UL] completed the biggest initial public offering in U.S. history on Wednesday, raising $20.1 billion after pricing shares at the top of its range on huge investor demand.
GM will start trading on Thursday, and MF Global's Brady said if the shares don't rise as much as expected, it could have a negative short-term psychological impact.
Weekly jobless claims data will be reported at 8:30 a.m. EST [1330 GMT]. About 440,000 claims are expected, up from the 435,000 posted in the previous week. The October leading index change and the Philadelphia Fed business index for November are also due.
Sears Holding Corp's
Dell Inc
In deal news, semiconductor equipment maker Verigy Ltd
LTX-Credence closed Wednesday at $5.98, while Walter fell 5 percent to $90 in premarket trading. [ID:nSGE6AH0C3]
U.S. stocks ended flat on Wednesday as a late-day selloff in banks offset positive news from retailers. (Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)