Morning Wire -- US Stock-Index Futures Rising

US index futures are up this morning after today’s auction of Spanish and Italian bonds was well-received by buyers. Spain sold twice the volume it expected and Italy’s yield fell 30 basis points. The Bank of England did not change interest rates today nor did it increase its bond purchasing program. In Asia, investors were cautious ahead of the European bond sales and markets were all down. In the US, traders are awaiting the report on new jobless benefits claims, with the consensus estimate calling for a rise from last week’s 372,000 to 375,000. The Census Bureau’s business inventories report is also expected to show a slight rise of 0.5%.

At about 8:15 a.m. ET, Germany’s DAX is up 1.50% at 6,244.45 and France’s CAC 40 is up 1.29%, at 3,246.05. In London, the FTSE 100 is up 0.41%, at 5,693.87.

In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed down -0.30%, at 19,095.40. The Nikkei index closed down -0.74%, at 8,385.59, and the Shanghai index closed down -0.05%, at 2,275.01.

Dow futures are up 0.60%, at 12,462.00. The Nasdaq 100 is up 0.59%, at 2,3381.00 and the S&P is up 0.65%, at 1,296.60.

In the currency markets, the US dollar is weaker against the euro and the British pound, but stronger versus the Japanese yen. The US dollar index is down -0.224% at 81.076.

In commodities, WTI and Brent crude are both higher this morning, with WTI up 1.15% at $102.03/barrel and Brent up 1.30% at $113.70/barrel. Gold is also higher this morning, at $1,656.90/ounce.

Paul Ausick