(MENAFN– ecpulse) Today comes loaded with economic data in the U.S., with durable goods orders, jobless claims and consumer sentiment figures scheduled for release, with investors looking to extend this year’s record rally as they head into the Thanksgiving Holiday.
U.S. stock futures suggested a higher open Wednesday.
-Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.087% to 16074
-Futures on the S&P 500 index climbed 0.067% to 1803.30
-Futures on the NASDAQ 100 climbed 0.123% to 3451.50 . As of 06:22 a.m. ET
U.S. stocks finished slightly higher Tuesday, continuing to set new records. The NASDAQ index, which is dominated by tech stocks, closed above 4,000 for the first time in 13 years.
Airline investors were staying alert Wednesday morning as they wait on a judge to rule on various issues surrounding the merger between US Airways and American Airlines. The ruling is expected around 10 a.m. ET.
Hewlett-Packard shares surged in after-hours trading Tuesday after the firm reported quarterly earnings and sales that beat expectations.
In Europe, stocks rose after a survey showed upbeat sentiment among German consumers in the run-up to the holiday season. The Stoxx Europe 600 index was up 0.35 percent, while London’s FTSE 100 was up 0.19 percent, Germany’s DAX-30 was up 0.19 percent and France`s CAC-40 was up 0.12 percent.
Asian markets ended with mixed results. Chinese indexes posted modest gains while Japan`s benchmark Nikkei lost 0.4%.
Tensions in the region are rising after China announced the creation of a controversial new air defense zone . Both the United States and its close ally, Japan, refuse to recognize the zone.
Economic Data
Data on durable goods orders for October is scheduled for release at 8:30 a.m. EST. Orders are forecast to fall 2.2 percent in October following a 3.8 percent jump in September.
Also scheduled for an 8:30 a.m. release are jobless claims numbers for the week ended Nov. 23, and claims are projected to rise marginally to 330,000 from 323,000 in the prior week, noting that jobless claims are near their lowest levels since the recession ended.
The report comes a day earlier than usual because of Thursday`s Thanksgiving holiday.
Later in the day, at 9:45 a.m. EST, we have the Chicago PMI for November. This data point, in October, had surged more than 10 points to 65.9, for its strongest monthly gain in more than 30 years. A Wall Street Journal survey consensus pegs the number at a less heady 60.5 in November.
At 9:55 a.m. EST, the Thomson Reuters-University of Michigan consumer sentiment index is expected to show that it ticked up to 73.3 in November, compared to a 72.0 reading in the previous month.
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