US Stock Futures Edge Higher Ahead Of Jobless Claims Report

Related COST UPDATE: Costco Same-Store Sales Rise 5% In April Tractor Supply Hikes Dividend - Analyst Blog Google Launches Delivery Service in LA & NYC (Fox Business)

Pre-open movers

US stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade, ahead of jobless claims data. Data on weekly jobless claims will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 21 points to 16,489.00, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index futures rose 0.80 points to 1,875.00. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index gained 0.25 points to 3,540.75.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were higher today, with the Spanish Ibex Index rising 0.77%, STOXX Europe 600 Index jumping 0.39%. German DAX 30 index rose 0.44%, French CAC 40 Index climbed 0.61% and London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.49%.

In Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei Stock Average surged 0.93%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.42%, China's Shanghai Composite Index climbed 0.26% and India's BSE Sensex gained 0.09%. China's exports climbed 0.9% y/y in April while imports in April surged 0.8%.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Morgan Stanley upgraded Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) from "underweight" to "equal-weight."

Twitter's shares closed at $30.66 yesterday.

Breaking news

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) reported a 5% gain in its April same-store sales. Costco's US same-store sales climbed 5%, while international sales rose 2% in April. Analysts were estimating a 3.2% gain in April same store sales. To read the full news, click here. Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH) reported an 18% drop in its first-quarter profit. Dish's quarterly earnings slipped to $175.9 million, or $0.38 per share, versus $215.6 million, or $0.47 per share, in the year-ago period. To read the full news, click here. Affymetrix (NASDAQ: AFFX) and Leica Biosystems announce the launch of Affymetrix' fully automated RNA in situ hybridization assays ViewRNATM eZ Assays on the Leica BOND RX staining platform. To read the full news, click here. Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN) reported a 36% gain in its first-quarter earnings. Priceline's quarterly profit surged to $331.2 million, or $6.25 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $244.3 million, or $4.76 per share. To read the full news, click here.

Posted-In: Morgan Stanley US Stock FuturesNews Eurozone Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets

© 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

  Most Popular Will Bank Stocks Continue To Move Lower On Bad News? Analysts Almost Unanimously Bullish On Candy Crush Maker Earnings Scheduled For May 7, 2014 Benzinga's Top Downgrades Will Microsoft Unveil Its iPad Mini-Killer On May 20? Five Star Stock Watch: Oracle Corporation Related Articles (AFFX + COST) US Stock Futures Edge Higher Ahead Of Jobless Claims Report UPDATE: Costco Same-Store Sales Rise 5% In April Tractor Supply Hikes Dividend - Analyst Blog Affymetrix Q1 Earnings Beat Ests by a Penny - Analyst Blog Look Out Costco: Groupon's Got Bulk Goods UPDATE: Bank of America Reiterates On Affymetrix As Growth/Profitability Improve Around the Web, We're Loving...