Morning Wire -- US Stock-Index Futures Continue Rising

Stock-index futures are up this morning as US markets prepare for a veritable blizzard of economic data scheduled for release today. First-time unemployment claims, GDP revisions, consumer confidence rating, housing prices, and leading economic indicators are all on tap by 10:00 a.m. (ET) today. Because so many recent economic reports have been good, expectations are high for another solid day on US markets. One item that could bear watching is trading volume, which was quite low yesterday and mostly included sellers until the final hour of trading.

At about 7:45 a.m. ET, Germany’s DAX is up 1.23% at 5,862.54 and France’s CAC 40 is up 1.43%, at 3,073.68. In London, the FTSE 100 is up 1.18%, at 5,453.24.

In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index is down -0.21%, at 18,378.20. The Nikkei index is down -0.77%, at 8,395.16, and the Shanghai index is down -0.22%, at 2,186.30.

Dow futures are up 0.52%, at 12,086.00. The Nasdaq 100 is up 0.54%, at 2,251.00 and the S&P is up 0.53%, at 1,242.80.

In the currency markets, the US dollar is weaker against the euro and the British pound, and stronger against the Japanese yen.

In commodities, both WTI and Brent crude are higher this morning, with WTI at $99.00/barrel and Brent at $107.96/barrel. Gold is down fractionally, at $1,612.80.