US Stock Futures Signal Higher Start On Wall Street

Pre-open movers US stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade. The Treasury Budget for May will be released at 2:00 p.m. ET. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 55.50 points to 17,822.50, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index futures rose 7.65 points to 2,087.65. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index climbed 15.30 points to 4,446.80. A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were higher today, with the Spanish Ibex Index rising 0.45 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index surging 0.76 percent and German DAX 30 index gaining 0.83 percent. French CAC 40 Index surged 0.70 percent and London's FTSE 100 Index rose 0.42 percent. In Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei Stock Average fell 0.25 percent, China's Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.15 percent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declined 1.12 percent and India's BSE Sensex jumped 1.36 percent. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Credit Suisse downgraded H & R Block Inc HRB from Outperform to Neutral and lowered the price target from $37.00 to $35.00. H&R Block shares rose 2.26 percent to close at $31.95 yesterday. Breaking news

• Merck MRK known as MSD outside Canada and the United States, announced the primary results of the Trial Evaluating Cardiovascular Outcomes with Sitagliptin (TECOS), a placebo-controlled study of the cardiovascular (CV) safety of MSD's DPP-4 inhibitor, JANUVIA(R) (sitagliptin), added to usual care in more than 14,000 patients. To read the full news, click here.
• Vericel Corporation VCEL today announced that following discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the company plans to submit a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the FDA by the end of 2015 for MACI™ for the treatment of focal chondral cartilage defects in the knee. To read the full news, click here.
• OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. OGXI announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to the Company's proposed amendment to the Phase 3 AFFINITY protocol and statistical analysis plan. To read the full news, click here.
• GlobeImmune, Inc. GBIM today announced that it is evaluating strategic options for the company. To read the full news, click here.