US Stock Futures Edge Higher; All Eyes On Jobs Data

Pre-open movers US stock futures traded slightly higher in early pre-market trade. Data on nonfarm payroll employment for October will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET, while consumer credit data for September will be released at 3:00 p.m. ET. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 16 points to 17,520.00, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index futures rose 1.40 points to 2,029.40. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index climbed 8.25 points to 4,171.00. A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were mostly lower today, with the Spanish Ibex Index dropping 1.09%, STOXX Europe 600 Index falling 0.19%. German DAX 30 index fell 0.39%, French CAC 40 Index slipped 0.56% and London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.62%. German industrial production rose 1.4% in September, versus economists' expectations for a 2.0% gain. French industrial output came in flat in September from August. In Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.52%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.42%, China's Shanghai Composite Index declined 0.32% and India's Sensex fell 0.17%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Needham upgraded Zynga ZNGA from Hold to Buy. Zynga's shares closed at $2.36 yesterday. Breaking news

• Humana HUM reported weaker-than-expected earnings for the third quarter. To read the full news, click here.
• The Principal Financial Group PFG announced that it will acquire AXA's AXAHY Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) and Occupational Retirement Schemes Ordinance (ORSO) pension business in Hong Kong for approximately US $335 million. To read the full news, click here.
• Zynga ZNGA beat third-quarter revenue expectations Thursday and posted a loss in line with Wall Street's views. To read the full news, click here.
• Idera Pharmaceuticals IDRA and Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) today announced a collaboration to advance Idera's proprietary Toll-like receptor (TLR) technology for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. To read the full news, click here.