Morning Wire -- US Stock-Index Futures Higher

US index futures are higher this morning following a much-better-than-expected report on German investor confidence. In the US, today’s retail sales report is expected to show a gain of 1.1% in February, and this afternoon’s Federal Reserve announcement is not expected to reveal any surprises. In Asia, the Bank of Japan disappointed investors by not making any changes in either its lending rate or its asset purchase program.

At about 8:15 a.m. ET, Germany’s DAX is up 1.0% at 6,970.62 and France’s CAC 40 is up 1.03%, at 3,526.18. In London, the FTSE 100 is up 0.85%, at 5,942.58.

In Asia, the Hang Seng index closed up 0.97%, at 21,339.70 and the Nikkei index closed up 0.09%, at 9,899.08. The Shanghai exchange closed up 0.86%, at 2,455.79.

Dow futures are up 0.48%, at 12,959.00. The Nasdaq is up 0.51%, at 2,660.50 and the S&P is up 0.51%, at 1,373.80.

In the currency markets, the US dollar is stronger against the euro and the Japanese yen, but weaker versus the British pound. The US dollar index is up 0.29% at 80.119.

In commodities, WTI and Brent crude are higher this morning, with WTI up 0.42% at $106.79/barrel and Brent is up 0.49% at $125.95/barrel. Gold is down -0.22% this morning, at $1,696.00/ounce.

Paul Ausick