US Stock Futures Gain Ahead Of Jobs Report

Pre-open movers

US stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade. Data on nonfarm payrolls for June and weekly jobless claims will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. Data on factory orders for May will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 25 points to 17,696.0, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index futures rose 3.15 points to 2,074.15. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index climbed 8.90 points to 4,430.90.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were higher today, with the Spanish Ibex Index rising 0.01 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index surging 0.05 percent and German DAX 30 index climbing 2.21 percent. French CAC 40 Index jumped 1.95 percent and London's FTSE 100 Index rose 1.55 percent.

In Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.95 percent, Homg Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 0.12 percent, China's Shanghai Composite Index dipped 3.48 percent and India's BSE Sensex slipped 0.27 percent.

Broker Recommendation
Analysts at Cowen & Company upgraded AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) from Market Perform to Outperform and raises the price target from $35.00 to $40.00.

AT&T shares rose 0.11 percent to close at $35.56 on Wednesday.

Breaking news

• Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS) reported better-than-expected earnings for its fiscal second quarter and lifted its FY15 earnings outlook on Wednesday. To read the full news, click here.
• Blue Calypso, Inc. (NASDAQ: BCYP) today announced that its Board of Directors has approved a 1-for-50 reverse stock split of the Company's authorized, issued and outstanding stock in preparation for its proposed up-listing to either the NYSE MKT or the NASDAQ Capital markets. To read the full news, click here.
• China Information Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNIT) today updated investors on its progress of selling its manufacturing facility in Shenzhen. To read the full news, click here.
• Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) and Health Net, Inc. (NYSE: HNT) announced that the Boards of Directors of both companies have unanimously approved a definitive agreement under which Centene will acquire all of the shares of Health Net in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $6.8 billion, including the assumption of approximately $500 million of debt. To read the full news, click here.