US stock index futures edged up on Thursday, ahead of a busy day of corporate earnings and economic data.
* EBay Inc reported holiday quarter results after Wednesday's closing bell that just beat Wall Street expectations, and its 2013 forecast was in line with analysts' estimates. Its stock rose 1.2 percent to $53.51 in premarket trading.
* Several financial companies report results on Thursday, including Citigroup. Other companies on tap include Intel.
* Solid earnings from Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase on Wednesday helped lift estimates for S&P 500 corporate earnings slightly to a 2.2 percent gain, Thomson Reuters data showed.
* Shares of Boeing extended a recent slump after the United States and other countries grounded the new 787 Dreamliner following a second incident involving battery failure. Boeing was down 2.8 percent at $72.26.
* S&P 500 futures rose 2.9 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 8 points, while Nasdaq 100 futures added 2.5 points.
* Investors were looking to the release of a batch of economic data for trading incentives, including weekly first time claims for unemployment benefits, housing starts for December and manufacturing activity in the US mid-Atlantic region for January.
* AT&T is considering buying a telecoms company in Europe to offset growth constraints in its home market, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the company's thinking. - Reuters