Benzinga | Dec 29, 2021 06:16AM EST

A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Up Ahead Of Economic Data

Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade after closing mixed in the previous session. Investors are awaiting earnings results from FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCEL).

Data on U.S. international trade in goods and wholesale inventories for November will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. The pending home sales index for November is scheduled for release at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 58 points to 36,340.00 while the Standard & Poor's 500 index futures gained 10 points to 4,788.50. Futures for the Nasdaq index jumped 60.50 points to 16,548.50.

The U.S. has the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the world, with total infections in the country exceeding 54,148,540 with around 842,160 deaths. India reported a total of at least 34,808,880 confirmed cases, while Brazil confirmed over 22,254,700 cases.

Oil prices traded mostly flat as Brent crude futures rose 0.1% to trade at $78.68 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures fell 0.1% to trade at $78.68 a barrel. The Energy Information Administration's weekly report on petroleum inventories in the U.S. is scheduled for release at 10:30 a.m. ET.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were mixed today. The Spanish Ibex Index fell 0.1% and STOXX Europe 600 Index gained 0.2%. The French CAC 40 Index gained 0.1%, while London's FTSE 100 gained 0.8% and German DAX 30 fell 0.2%.

Asian markets traded mostly lower today. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.56%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.83% and China's Shanghai Composite fell 0.91%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 climbed 1.2%, while India's BSE Sensex slipped 0.1%. Singapore's Domestic Supply Price Index surged 26% year-over-year in November following a 25.4% increase in the earlier month.

Broker Recommendation

DA Davidson initiated coverage on Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKAM) with a Buy rating and announced a price target of $143.

Akamai shares rose 1.2% to $119.85 in pre-market trading.

Check out other major ratings here



Breaking News * JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD) boosted its share buyback plan from $2 billion to $3 billion.

* Cal-Maine Foods (NASDAQ:CALM) reported weaker-than-expected earnings for its second quarter on Tuesday.

* Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) has placed the Foxconn Technology Group factory in Chennai, India under probation after conducting an investigation that revealed its workers were being subjected to poor working conditions.

* Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE:DAR) agreed to acquire all of the shares of Valley Proteins, Inc. for around $1.1 billion in cash.

Check out other breaking news here