Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade, after Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results. Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB) and Groupon Inc (NASDAQ: GRPN) will release quarterly earnings after the closing bell. Data on durable goods orders for June will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET, while the pending home sales index for June will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. The Federal Open Market Committee will announce its policy decision at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 34 points to 18,430.00, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures rose 3 points to 2,166.25. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index gained 32.25 points to 4,696.50.

Oil prices traded lower as Brent crude futures fell 0.98 percent to trade at $44.43 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures also dropped 0.54 percent to trade at $42.70 a barrel. The Energy Information Administration’s weekly report on petroleum inventories 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 1.40 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index climbing 0.59 percent and German DAX 30 index gaining 0.78 percent. The UK's FTSE index was trading higher by 0.60 percent, while French CAC 40 Index climbed 1.43 percent. French consumer confidence slipped to 96 in July, versus 97 in June. French producer prices increased 0.4 percent in June versus May.

In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average rose 1.72 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 0.40 percent, China’s Shanghai Composite Index declined 1.91 percent and India’s BSE Sensex rose 0.17 percent. China's services trade deficit increased to $19.4 billion in June, from $19.1 billion in May.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Raymond James upgraded Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) from Market Perform to Outperform.

Apple shares rose 6.97 percent to $103.41 in pre-market trading.

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