US Stock Futures Edge Higher; Jobless Claims Data In Focus

Pre-open movers

US stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade. Data on weekly jobless claims will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 12 points to 17,988.00, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index futures rose 1 point to 2,079.90. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index climbed 4.50 points to 4,282.50.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were mixed today, with the Spanish Ibex Index gaining 0.09%, STOXX Europe 600 Index dropping 0.06%. German DAX 30 index climbed 0.57%, French CAC 40 Index slipped 0.33% and London's FTSE 100 Index rose 0.09%.

In Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei Stock Average jumped 1.24%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 0.07%, China's Shanghai Composite Index slipped 1.98% and India's Sensex declined 1.08%.

Broker Recommendation
Analysts at MLV & Co initiated coverage on Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HALO) with a Buy rating. The target price for Halozyme Therapeutics is set to $12.

Halozyme Therapeutics' shares closed at $9.03 yesterday.

Breaking news

• j2 Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: JCOM) on December 23, 2014 delivered a letter, a copy of which is included below, to Carbonite, Inc. (NASDAQ: CARB) indicating its intention to commence a cash tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of Carbonite. To read the full news, click here.
• Midstates Petroleum Company, Inc. (NYSE: MPO) today announced that Mark Eck will be joining the Company as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer effective December 29, 2014. To read the full news, click here.
• American Realty Capital Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARCP) today outlined its Board of Directors' business priorities for the Company moving forward and announced that it has concluded a status evaluation of the properties in ARCP's portfolio. To read the full news, click here.
• Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ: ATRO) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Armstrong Aerospace ("Armstrong") for approximately $51 million. To read the full news, click here.