US STOCKS-Futures up ahead of ECB meeting, jobless data eyed

* Jobless claims, pending home sales data on tap

* Goldman Sachs sees S&P 500 at 1,450 by end of 2011

* Futures up: Dow 46 pts, S&P 5.5 pts, Nasdaq 14.25 pts

* For up-to-the-minute market news see [STXNEWS/US]

NEW YORK, Dec 2 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures rose on Thursday on expectations the European Central Bank may act to relieve market worries of a spreading euro zone debt crisis.

The Dow and the S&P 500 scored their biggest gains in three months Wednesday as optimism over efforts to resolve the EU's debt crisis helped push the S&P above 1,200. The benchmark faces strong resistance in the 1,225-1,230 area.

The European Central Bank faced pressure to take steps to help contain the euro zone's debt problems, but could upset financial markets if it fails to announce new anti-crisis measures. For details see [ID:nLDE6B10I4].

Investors also awaited U.S. data on the labor and housing markets, which may help to confirm recent signs of strength in the economic recovery.

"The market is having a mild follow-through off the optimism that the euro situation is being addressed (properly)," said Andre Bakhos, director of market analytics at Lek Securities in New York.

"This, coupled with high hopes that the economic pickup will have a positive jobs component to it, will fuel added market gains."

Several U.S. retailers reported higher-than-expected sales for November, confirming a strong start to the holiday shopping season that could help determine whether the economic recovery has legs. The SPDR S&P Retail ETF rose nearly 1 percent in early trading. [ID:nN02149928]

S&P 500 futures rose 5.5 points and were above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures gained 46 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures added 14.25 points.

If the S&P 500 continues to hold at the 1,200 level, the market uptrend will see strong resistance in the 1,225-1,230 area that coincides with a recent two-year high and the 61.8 percent Fibonacci retracement of the benchmark's slide from October 2007 to March 2009, a key technical indicator. The S&P closed at 1,206.07 on Wednesday.

Bakhos said the benchmark is in a strong position to break a new two-year high since the S&P did not break down technically after the latest Korean tensions and amid fears over the European debt problems.

Goldman Sachs forecast the S&P 500 <.SPX> will close 2011 at 1,450, boosted by positive earnings amid a steadily rising U.S. economy. It also upgraded the financials, energy and consumer discretionary sectors.

U.S. President Barack Obama's top economic advisers will resume negotiations with congressional leaders on Thursday, hoping to break a deadlock over tax rates. [ID:nN01129519]

The cost of insuring so-called peripheral euro zone debt against default eased ahead of the ECB meeting, while the euro, which has recently traded in the same direction as U.S. equities, gained ground against the U.S. dollar. [ID:nLDE6B10LG]

In company news, PepsiCo Inc agreed to buy Russian juice and dairy producer Wimm-Bill-Dann . Wimm-Bill-Dann shares jumped 28.4 percent to $31.50 in premarket trading. [ID:nLDE6B110R]

American International Group Inc shares could get attention after Reuters reported the insurer could receive at least three separate bids for its Taiwan unit. [ID:nTPV002217].

Toll Brothers Inc rose 3.5 percent to $19.10 premarket after the home builder posted a quarterly profit versus a year-ago loss, helped by lower expenses and a tax benefit. [ID:nN01192698]

Economic data on tap includes weekly initial jobless claims, due at 8:30 a.m. EST (1330 GMT), with forecasts at 425,000 from 407,000 last week. Pending home sales for October, expected at 10 a.m. EST (1500 GMT), are seen down 0.5 percent versus a decline of 1.8 percent in the prior month. [ECI/US] (Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)