Morning Wire — US Stock-Index Futures Higher

US index futures are higher this morning as European and Asian markets have all responded favorably to recent earnings announcements for US companies like Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC), Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), and Ebay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY). Prospects for a growing US economy have raised investors’ appetite for equities. China’s possible easing of its capital reserve requirements for banks is also providing a boost. The single piece of bad news is the bankruptcy filing by Eastman Kodak Co. (NYSE: EK), but that has long been expected.

At about 8:30 a.m. ET, Germany’s DAX is up 0.64% at 6,395.41 and France’s CAC 40 is up 1.44%, at 3,311.85. In London, the FTSE 100 is up 0.49%, at 5,730.38.

In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed up 1.30%, at 19,942.90. The Nikkei index closed up 1.04%, at 8,639.68, and the Shanghai index closed up 1.31%, at 2,296.07.

Dow futures are up 0.34%, at 12,547.00. The Nasdaq 100 is up 0.42%, at 2,430.75 and the S&P is up 0.43%, at 1,307.80.

In the currency markets, the US dollar is weaker against the euro and the British pound and higher versus the Japanese yen. The US dollar index is down -0.299% at 80.242.

In commodities, WTI and Brent crude are higher this morning, with WTI up 1.21% at $101.81/barrel and Brent up 0.78% at $111.52/barrel. Gold is up 0.13% this morning, at $1,662.00/ounce.

Paul Ausick