US Stock Futures Move Up As Investor Focus Shifts To Employment Data

US Stock futures moved up today ahead of the monthly data on pending home and auto sales. While futures on the S&P 500 gained 6.2 points to 1,075.50, those on the Nasdaq 100 added 13.5 points to 1,844.50. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures climbed 50 points. Outlook on markets seems to have improved as investors focus on employment data, with the release of the Challenger report on layoffs. ADP's employment estimate on the private sector is scheduled for Thursday and the government's nonfarm payrolls report is set to be announced on Friday. April pending-home sales data is also due to release today. Sales are likely to have risen by 5% in April, as compared to a 5.3% increase seen last month. Some companies that are drawing attention in pre-market trading are BP Plc BP, Transocean RIG. While BP has moved up 1.3% in premarket trading, to recover slightly from a sharp fall yesterday, RIG rose 2.1 percent to $51.50. Overseas, the Nikkei 225 lost 1.1% following the resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama after just nine months in office. The Stoxx Europe 600 is also down 0.6% in late morning trade. Read more from Benzinga's Markets.