(Corrects to say Sun to be bought by Oracle)

Stock futures pointed to a higher start for Wall Street on Wednesday, ahead of GDP data. At 4:02 a.m. EDT, futures for the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq were up between 0.6 and 0.7 percent. * The FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top European shares was up 0.5 percent at 805.38 points, with Banco Santander and Siemens among shares to rise after company results.

* The release of advance first-quarter U.S. GDP data may indicate whether there are any green shoots on the horizon. The economy is expected to have shrunk at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.9 percent in the first quarter, after contracting 6.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008.

* Economists expect the Federal Reserve to hold its target range for its benchmark funds rate steady at zero to 0.25 percent, as it has since December.

* Bank of America holds its annual shareholder meeting in North Carolina, amid media reports that it may have to raise more capital.

* Visa , the world's biggest payment network, is expected to report higher quarterly earnings as consumers used their cards more.

* Goodyear, Starbucks and Time Warner are among other companies due to report.

* Shares in E*Trade Financial Corp fell nearly 25 percent in extended trading on Tuesday after the retail brokerage said it is facing regulatory pressure to boost capital as it posted its seventh straight quarterly loss.

* Computer server maker SunMicrosystems Inc , set to be bought by Oracle Corp , reported a wider quarterly loss as sales fell because of lower technology spending and uncertainty over the company's future.

* Panera Bread Co

shares fell more than 8 percent in extended trading on Tuesday after the company posted quarterly results.

* Dendreon's shares more than doubled from the price at which trading was halted on Tuesday after price volatility prompted a brief probe by the Nasdaq OMX Group's market oversight body.

* Chrysler LLC's biggest lenders and the U.S. government reached a framework deal to cut the automakers' debt by $6.9 billion but bankruptcy still loomed as a strong possibility to complete restructuring, officials said.

* North Korea on Wednesday threatened to conduct a nuclear test and also to test an intercontinental ballistic missle unless the U.N. Security Council apologizes for imposing sanctions against it.

* U.S. shares closed marginally lower on Tuesday, as investors worried about the effect of swine flu and reports that some major banks need to raise more capital.

(Reporting by Brian Gorman; Editing by Greg Mahlich)

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