US Stock Futures Higher; Point To Better Market Opening

US stock futures moved up today as investor sentiments improved after Alcoa AA announced positive results for the second quarter. While futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 53 points to 10234, those on the S&P 500 moved up 7.1 points to 1083.7. Meanwhile, Nasdaq 100 futures advanced 14.75 points to 1835. The positive news is not limited to Alcoa. While CSX Corp CSX, the railroad operator, recorded a 36% jump in its quarterly profit, BMW, the luxury auto manufacturer, raised its earnings projections. Moreover, India's Infosys Technologies INFY raised its outlook today, despite reporting worse-than-expected profits for the latest quarter. American International Group AIG, Intel INTC and Yum Brands YUM are also in focus today. AIG rose in premarket trading after news of its biggest private shareholder, Bruce Berkowitz, buying more shares to increase his stake in the insurer hit the market. INTC and YUM are due to announce their quarterly results today. Gary Jenkins, chief fixed income strategist at Evolution Securities, said, "It will be interesting to see if this earnings season has more of an impact on the market than the last one.” On the economic front, only trade balance data and a new survey by the Feb on lending trends are due to be released today. Overseas, markets were mixed, with Europe seeing strong gains and Asia closing in the red. Read more from Benzinga's Markets.