US Stock Futures Up Ahead Of Jobless Claims, Chicago PMI Data

US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting jobless claims and Chicago PMI data. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 24 points to 12,242.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index rose 2.50 points to 1,306.80. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 6.00 points to 2,300.00. US stocks closed higher on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones industrial average gaining 0.60% to 12,261.42, the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rising 0.83% to 1,307.41 and the NASDAQ composite index surging 0.41% to 2,740.49. Data on weekly jobless claims will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. The Chicago PMI survey for June will be released after the opening bell. Apollo Group Inc APOL is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $1.34 per share on revenue of $1.20 billion. McCormick & Company Incorporated MKC is projected to post its Q2 EPS at $0.54 on revenue of $855.16 million. Smith & Wesson Holding Corp SWHC is estimated to report its Q4 EPS at $0.05 per share on revenue of $110.14 million. Constellation Brands Inc STZ is estimated to post its Q1 earnings at $0.37 per share on revenue of $649.31 million. Darden Restaurants Inc DRI is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $1 per share on revenue of $1.99 billion. Worthington Industries Inc WOR is estimated to post its Q4 EPS at $0.55 on revenue of $649.20 million. Goldman Sachs Group Inc GS announced its plans to lay off 230 jobs in New York City between September and March next year, according to a state filing. Callaway Golf Company ELY announced the resignation of its Chief Executive George Fellows. The company also issued a weak earnings forecast. Shares of Lloyds Banking Group PLC LYG gained about 8.4% in pre-market trading after the bank announced its plans to cut 15,000 jobs. Asian markets ended higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 0.1922%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving up 1.75% and China's Shanghai Composite surging 1.23%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 1.5272% and India's Sensex jumped 0.63%. European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index has gained 0.25%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved up 0.69%, German DAX 30 index rose 0.14% and France CAC 40 index surged 0.33%. The Greek parliament passed an austerity bill on Wednesday. The parliament will vote Thursday on implementation legislation. The dollar index (DXY) fell 0.3% to 74.435. Crude oil for August delivery dropped $0.10 to $94.67 a barrel in electronic trading on Globex.