US futures gain after Walmart results

The US bourse is set to open higher as European leaders get ready to meet.

The US bourse is set to open higher as European leaders get ready to meet.

Published Nov 13, 2014

Share

New York - US stock index futures advanced on Thursday, after the Dow and S&P snapped a five-day streak of record closing highs and ahead of data on the labour market.

* Wal-Mart shares advanced 2 percent to $80.75 (R904) in premarket trading after the retail giant posted its quarterly results.

* Weekly initial jobless claims data is due at 8:30 am (14:30 SA time).

Expectations call for claims to inch up to 280 000 versus 278 000 in the prior week.

* The S&P 500 has rallied more than 9 percent from a six-month low in October, buoyed by supportive economic data and corporate earnings.

For the year so far, it is up 10.3 percent.

* JC Penney shares fell 5.9 percent to $7.30 in premarket trading after it reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss Wednesday but said same-store sales were flat and slightly cut its full-year revenue forecast.

* As earnings season winds down, Thomson Reuters data showed that of 453 companies in the S&P 500 to report, 74.8 percent beat expectations, above the 63 percent average beat rate since 1994 and 67 percent for the past four quarters.

Earnings overall were expected to grow 10 percent over the year-ago period.

* DreamWorks Animation shares jumped 23.9 percent to $27.72 before the opening bell after the New York Times cited sources as saying toymaker Hasbro Inc was in talks to buy the Hollywood studio.

* European shares staged a modest rebound on Thursday, with strong results from Iliad and KBC slightly outweighing gloomy updates in the utilities sector.

* Asian shares were flat in the face of a cooling Chinese economy, after a flurry of data which met or was slightly below expectations.

 

* S&P 500 e-minis were up 5.25 points, or 0.26 percent, with 122 950 contracts changing hands.

* Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 12.5 points, or 0.3 percent, in volume of 18,820 contracts.

* Dow e-minis were up 44 points, or 0.25 percent, with 20,816 contracts changing hands. - Reuters

Related Topics: