US Stock Futures Up As Investors Await Weekly Jobless Data

US stock futures are higher this morning, ahead of the weekly jobless data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 32 points to 11,400, while those for the S&P 500 surged 4.1 points to 1,232.80. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index moved up 5 points to 2,205.50. US stock markets ended slightly higher yesterday, with the Dow gaining 0.12% or 13.32 points. Economic data on weekly jobless claims is due at 8:30 a.m. ET. The data on October wholesale inventories will be released at 10 a.m. ET. Brown-Forman Corp BF is all set to report its quarterly results before the opening bell. ASML Holding NV ASML raised its Q4 bookings forecast. National Semiconductor NSM is expected to post its Q2 EPS at $0.32. Smithfield Foods SFD is projected to report its Q2 earnings at $0.56 per share. Lululemon athletica Inc LULU is forecast to report its earnings at $0.25 per share on revenue of $159.03 million in the third quarter. Positive sentiments ruled the European markets today. While STOXX Europe 600 Index has advanced 0.25%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved up 0.34%. Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average adding 0.52%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving up 0.75% and China's Shanghai Composite losing 1.32%. Indian shares fell sharply, with the BSE Sensex dropping 2.31%. Gold futures dropped $0.50 to trade at $1,382 an ounce, while crude-oil futures gained $0.32 to $88.60 per barrel. The dollar index (DXY) gained about 0.26%. Read more from Benzinga's Markets.