A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Up Ahead Of Jobless Claims Data

Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade. The Challenger job-cut report for November is schedule for release at 7:30 a.m. ET, while data on initial jobless claims for the latest week will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. New York Federal Reserve Bank President William Dudley is set to speak in New York at 8:30 a.m. ET.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 15 points to 24,172, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures gained 3.25 points to 2,632.50. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index climbed 22.75 points to 6,315.75.

Oil prices traded higher as Brent crude futures rose 0.75 percent to trade at $61.68 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures gained 0.54 percent to trade at $56.26 a barrel. The Energy Information Administration’s weekly report on natural gas stocks in underground storage is schedule for release at 10:30 a.m. ET.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were higher today, with the Spanish Ibex Index rising 0.43 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index climbing 0.35 percent and German DAX 30 index gaining 0.59 percent. The UK's FTSE index was trading higher by 0.01 percent, while French CAC 40 Index rose 0.31 percent.

In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average rose 1.45 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 0.28 percent, China’s Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.67 percent and India’s BSE Sensex gained 1.08 percent.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Imperial Capital downgraded Bill Barrett Corporation BBG from Outperform to In-Line.

Bill Barrett shares dropped 18.64 percent to close at $4.65 on Wednesday.

Breaking news

• Conn's Inc CONN posted upbeat results for its third quarter.



• Lululemon Athletica inc. LULU reported stronger-than-expected results for its third quarter. The company saw comps up 8 percent in the quarter and authorized a $200 million share buyback program. CEO Laurent Potdevin says the company is on track for $4 billion in revenues by 2020.



• Broadcom Ltd AVGO reported upbeat earnings for its fourth quarter on Wednesday.



• Tailored Brands Inc TLRD reported better-than-expected earnings for its third quarter. The company also issued strong FY17 earnings guidance.