Morning Wire -- US Stock-Index Futures Higher

US index futures are higher this morning following the lead of both European and Asian marketsd which also moved higher today. In Europe, energy and financial stocks are leading the morning’s uptick, as crude prices continue to rise and banks look forward to next week’s blast of cash from the ECB (more coverage here). In Asia, markets responded to yesterday’s good report on German business confidence and rising energy and raw materials costs.

At about 8:15 a.m. ET, Germany’s DAX is up 0.80% at 6,863.92 and France’s CAC 40 is up 0.53%, at 3,465.71. In London, the FTSE 100 is up 0.14%, at 5,946.22.

In Asia, the Hang Seng index closed up 0.12%, at 21,406.90 and the Nikkei index closed up 0.54%, at 9,647.38. The Shanghai exchange closed up 1.25%, at 2,439.63.

Dow futures are up 0.12%, at 12,990.00. The Nasdaq 100 is up 0.09%, at 2,603.00 and the S&P is up 0.17%, at 1,365.20.

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 -0.19% at 78.485.

In commodities, WTI and Brent crude are higher this morning, with WTI up 0.45% at $108.32/barrel and Brent is up 0.13% at $123.78/barrel. Gold is down -0.43% this morning, at $1,778.70/ounce.

Paul Ausick