BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Trading on Thursday might be impacted by reaction to the Labor Department's weekly jobless claims report as well as Wholesale Trade for May.
Asian shares finished mostly broader, while European shares are trading higher.
As the Corona Virus panic is growing day-by-day, the investors remain cautious. The initial signs from the U.S. Futures Index suggest that Wall Street might open broadly up.
As of 8.10 am ET, the Dow futures were declining 46.00 points, the S&P 500 futures were up 0.50 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures were gaining 47.25 points.
The U.S. major averages all closed firmly in positive territory, although the tech-heavy Nasdaq outperformed its counterparts. While the Nasdaq surged up 148.61 points or 1.4 percent to 10,492.50, the Dow climbed 177.10 points or 0.7 percent to 26,067.28 and the S&P 500 advanced 24.62 points or 0.8 percent to 3,169.94.
On the economic front, Jobless Claims for the week will be published at 8.30 am ET. The consensus for New Claims is 1375K, down from 1427K in the prior week.
Wholesale Trade for May will be issued at 10.00 am ET. The consensus is for a decline of 1.2 percent, while it was 0.3 percent in the previous month.
The Energy Information Administration or EIA's Natural Gas Report for the week will be released at 10.30 am ET. In the prior week, the weekly change was 65 bcf. 30-year Treasury Bond auction will be held at 1.00 pm ET.
Fed Balance sheet for the week will be revealed at 4.30 pm ET. In the prior week, the level was at $7.009 trillion.
The Fed Money Supply for the week will be published at 4.30 pm ET. In the prior week, the M2 change was $100.2 billion.
Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Raphael Bostic will give remarks to the Tax Policy Center on 'The Prescription: Fiscal Policy for the COVID-19 Economy' at 12 pm ET.
Asian stocks rose broadly on Thursday. Chinese shares posted strong gains. The benchmark Shanghai Composite index climbed 47.15 points, or 1.39 percent, to 3,450.59, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index edged up 0.31 percent to 26,210.16.
Japanese shares gained ground. Markets ended off their day's highs as Tokyo confirmed more than 220 new coronavirus infections, exceeding its previous record. The Nikkei average edged up 90.64 points, or 0.40 percent, to 22,529.29, while the broader Topix index finished little changed with a positive bias at 1,557.24.
Australian markets advanced on Thursday. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index inched up 35.20 points, or 0.59 percent, to 5,955.50. The broader All Ordinaries index ended up 40.60 points, or 0.67 percent, at 6,074.90.
European shares are trading mostly higher. Among the major indexes in the region, the CAC 40 Index of France is gaining 8.30 points or 0.17 percent. The German DAX is adding 187.30 points or 1.49 percent, the U.K. FTSE 100 Index is declining 34.19 points or 0.56 percent.
The Swiss Market Index is losing 58.59 points or 0.58 percent.
The Euro Stoxx 50 Index, which is a compilation of 50 blue chip stocks across the euro area, is down 3.51 percent.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX