Morning Wire — US Stock-Index Futures Rising

US index futures are up this morning following an earnings report from Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) after US markets closed. The company’s earnings were about as expected, but Alcoa’s CEO projects demand growth of 7% in 2012, which has raised the company’s shares in after-hours trading. A decline in Chinese imports could act as an anchor on global growth if it continues through the year, but today, at least, all major indexes in Europe, Asia, and the US are up.

At about 8:15 a.m. ET, Germany’s DAX is up 2.63% at 6,175.58 and France’s CAC 40 is up 2.6%, at 3,209.01. In London, the FTSE 100 is up 1.26%, at 5,682.90.

In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed up 0.73%, at 19,004.30. The Nikkei index closed 0.38%, at 8,422.26, and the Shanghai index closed up 2.69%, at 2,285.74.

Dow futures are up 0.96%, at 12,455.00. The Nasdaq 100 is up 0.97%, at 2,369.50 and the S&P is up 1.06%, at 1,289.10.

In the currency markets, the US dollar is weaker against the euro, the British pound, and the Japanese yen. The US dollar index is down about -0.324% at 80.726.

In commodities, WTI and Brent crude are both higher this morning, with WTI up 1.94% at $103.28/barrel and Brent up 1.17% at $113.77/barrel. Gold is also higher this morning, at $1,639.00/ounce.

Paul Ausick