In this Feb. 2, 2012 photo, trader Jeffrey Vazquez, left, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. World stock markets rose Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012, after Greece indicated a willingness to commit to spending cuts to secure its bailout and moves by Japan's central bank to support the economy lifted its powerhouse export sector. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
In this Feb. 2, 2012 photo, trader Jeffrey Vazquez, left, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. World stock markets rose Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012, after Greece indicated a willingness to commit to spending cuts to secure its bailout and moves by Japan's central bank to support the economy lifted its powerhouse export sector. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
NEW YORK (AP) ? U.S. stock futures followed world markets higher Wednesday, as Europe appeared to be inching closer to a Greek bailout deal and several notable corporate developments.
Dow Jones industrial average futures added 44 to 12,886, while Standard & Poor's 500 futures rose 6.1 points to 1,353.60. Nasdaq Composite index futures gained 13.50 to 2,589.50.
Negotiations over a deal to save Greece from default helped boost some key European markets even as data indicated the eurozone economy contracted in the last three months of 2011.
In France, the CAC-40 rose 0.6 percent to 3,395.51. Germany's DAX added 0.75 percent to 6,778.04. But London's FTSE index slipped 0.1 percent to 5,899.
A Chinese pledge to continue to invest in Europe, the nation's biggest export market, and news that Japan's central bank would further loosen monetary policy also helped lift stocks worldwide.
The Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo soared 2.3 percent to close at 9,260.34, its highest close since Aug. 5. Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 2.1 percent to 21,365.23, its highest finish since Aug. 4.
In the U.S., shares of John Deere & Co. wobbled in premarket dealings, despite a strong quarterly report that easily topped Wall Street expectations. The Moline, Ill.-based farm and construction equipment maker also raised its sales forecast, but the guidance remained somewhat conservative, damping earlier gains.
Shares of Comcast Corp. shot up 6 percent after the nation's largest cable company reported a 26 percent higher fourth-quarter profit, as it stemmed the loss of customers by adding TV channels and improving customer service. The Philadelphia-based company also raised its dividend.
And shares of Kellogg Co. gained more than 5 percent in premarket trading after the Battle Creek, Mich.-based cereal maker stepped in to buy the Pringles chip brand from Procter & Gamble for $2.7 billion. P&G shares also edged higher on the news.
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