A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are higher this morning, after upbeat results from Apple Inc AAPL. Investors are awaiting earnings reports from several companies and data on jobless claims. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 67 points to 12,463.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index rose 8.50 points to 1,336.80. Nasdaq 100 futures surged 26.50 points to 2,381.50. A Peek Into Global Markets Positive sentiment ruled the European markets today. While STOXX Europe 600 Index has gained 0.59%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved up 0.29%. Asian markets ended higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 0.82%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rising 1.12% and China's Shanghai Composite gaining 0.65%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 1.01%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Ticonderoga upgraded Charles Schwab Corporation SCHW from “neutral” to “buy.” The target price for SCHW is set to $22. SCHW shares gained 0.43% to $18.67 in after-hours trading. Breaking news

• Shares of General Electric Co GE gained in pre-market trading after the company reported upbeat Q1 earnings and lifted its quarterly dividend. To read the full news, click here.
• EI DuPont de Nemours & Co DD reported its Q1 earnings at $1.52 per share, up from $1.24 per share, in the year-ago period. To read the full news, click here.
• Verizon Wireless VZ is still in the process of evaluating whether to distribute the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet - made by Research in Motion RIMM - through its retail channels. To read the full news, click here.
• Schlumberger Ltd SLB reported 40% rise in its Q1 net income. To read the full news, click here.

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