Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Wall Street on Monday, mirroring gains in Asia and Europe, on mounting optimism over a recovery in corporate profits that has fueled a sharp two-week rally on stock markets worldwide.

At 5 a.m. ET, futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 were up between 0.04 percent and 0.13 percent.

Oil rose for a third session on Monday to hit its highest level in more than three weeks, near $69 a barrel, as equity markets gained on hopes of an economic recovery that would boost fuel demand.

The Nikkei share average <.N225> gained 1.5 percent on Monday, rising for a ninth straight day -- its longest winning run in 21 years, on growing hopes for better-than-expected Japanese corporate earnings and an economic recovery.

European stocks were up 0.4 percent in early trade, resuming their sharp two-week rally after Friday's dip, with banks such as Deutsche Bank , Royal Bank of Scotland and UniCredit up 2.1-2.7 percent.

According to Thomson Reuters data, of the 184 companies in the S&P 500 that have reported earnings to date for the second quarter of 2009, 77 percent have reported earnings above analyst expectations.

On the earnings front, investors will keep an eye on results from Amgen , Corning , Honeywell , RadioShack and Verizon , while on the macro side, the market was bracing for U.S. new home sales data, due at 1400 GMT.

Health insurer Aetna Inc is looking to sell its pharmacy benefits management (PBM) business, the Wall Street Journal said, citing several people familiar with the matter.

The Nasdaq lost ground on Friday, halting a 12-day run-up, following Microsoft Corp's disappointing quarterly results, but a rise in pharmaceutical and energy shares lifted the Dow and the S&P 500 to fresh 8-month closing highs.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 23.95 points, or 0.26 percent, to 9,093.24. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> advanced 2.97 points, or 0.30 percent, to 979.26. But the Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> shed 7.64 points, or 0.39 percent, to 1,965.96.

All three major U.S. stock indexes recorded a second weekly gain in a row, and since hitting multi-year lows in early March, the S&P 500 has gained 44.7 percent, the Nasdaq has surged almost 55 percent, and the Dow has risen about 39 percent.

(Reporting by Blaise Robinson; editing by Simon Jessop)

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