Courtesy of Benzinga.
Pre-open movers
U.S. stock futures traded slightly higher in early pre-market trade. Data on initial jobless claims for the latest week is schedule for release at 8:30 a.m. ET, while data on new home sales for February will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen is set to speak in Washington at 8:45 a.m. ET, while Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari is set to speak in Washington at 12:30 p.m. ET. Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Robert Kaplan will speak in Chicago at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 14 points to 20,610.00, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures rose 4.50 points to 2,347.50. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index gained 7 points to 5,372.75.
Oil prices traded higher as Brent crude futures gained 0.63 percent to trade at $50.96 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures rose 0.62 percent to trade at $48.34 a barrel. The Energy Information Administration’s weekly report on natural gas stocks is schedule for release at 10:30 a.m. ET.
A Peek Into Global Markets
European markets were higher today, with the Spanish Ibex Index rising 0.58 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index climbing 0.32 percent and German DAX 30 index gaining 0.45 percent. The UK’s FTSE index was trading higher by 0.02 percent, while French CAC 40 Index climbed 0.27 percent.
In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.23 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 0.03 percent, China’s Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.10 percent and India’s BSE Sensex rose 0.56 percent.
Broker Recommendation
Analysts at Goldman Sachs upgraded FireEye Inc (NASDAQ: FEYE) from Sell to Buy.
FireEye shares rose 6.44 percent to $12.23 in pre-market trading.
Breaking news
- Accenture Plc (NYSE: ACN) reported upbeat earnings for its second quarter.
- Five Below Inc (NASDAQ: FIVE) reported better-than-expected earnings for its fourth quarter on Wednesday.
- PVH Corp (NYSE: PVH) posted upbeat earnings for its fourth quarter and issued a strong earnings forecast.
- Conagra Brands Inc (NYSE: CAG) reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its third quarter.
Posted-In: A Peek Into The MarketsEarnings News Eurozone Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets
