DOW JONES

Futures on major U.S. indices point to a lower opening Thursday ahead of key weekly jobless claims from the government.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Wall Street on Thursday with futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones up 0.3 percent, while Nasdaq 100 futures were up 0.1 percent at 04.08 a.m. EDT.

Stocks and commodities plunged Wednesday after the head of the European Central Bank -- a lynchpin in the euro zone's effort to contain the effects of its sovereign debt crisis -- suggested that some Greek banks will be left to collapse.

Wall Street stocks were looked likely to open lower open on Wednesday, despite good private sector payrolls data, as investors digested minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting published Tuesday suggesting further monetary stimulus action is unlikely.

Stock index futures fell on Wednesday after minutes of the Federal Reserve's March meeting released on Tuesday showed policymakers were less inclined to provide more economic stimulus, curbing investors' appetite for risky assets.

Chevron (NYSE: CVX) and Transocean (NYSE: RIG) will soon know which Brazilian court will preside over a criminal trial stemming from a November 2011 oil spill.

Stocks were set to take a breather on Tuesday after the S&P 500 climbed to a 4-year high and ahead of factory orders data and minutes of the latest Federal Reserve meeting.

Stock index futures fell on Tuesday after the S&P 500 climbed to a 4-year high in the previous session as investors awaited factory orders data and minutes of the latest Federal Reserve meeting.

Futures on major US stock indices point to a slightly lower opening Tuesday as investors awaited the report on factory orders and minutes of the latest Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).

The US stocks rose Monday on the back of strong manufacturing data, lifting Dow Jones Industrial Average to the highest level since 2007.

Wall Street advanced on Monday, the first trading day of the second quarter, as upbeat Chinese and manufacturing data overshadowed a report showing continued softness in Europe.

The public markets showed a strong appetite for U.S. venture capital companies in the first quarter, while the pace of mergers and acquisitions activities slowed, according to Dow Jones VentureSource.

China's official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index, a gauge of manufacturing sector performance, unexpectedly jumped to the highest level in a year, while a rival index by HSBC showed further weakening in the sector.

Friday, the Dow gained 66.22 points, or 0.50 percent, to 13,212.04 at the close. The S&P 500 Index gained 5.19 points, or 0.37 percent, to 1,408.47, while the Nasdaq Composite dipped 3.79 points, or 0.12 percent, to 3,091.57. The uptick capped U.S. stocks' strongest quarter in more than two years.

The owner of British Airways PLC gained European Union approval Friday to buy U.K. airline British Midland Airways Ltd., known as bmi, from German owner Deutsche Lufthansa AG for $276 million.

Americans spent their hard-earned money a bit more freely in February, the most in seven months, even as income rose only modestly, according to government data released Friday.

Stock index futures were higher on Friday as bargain hunters entered the market after a string of declines, putting equities on track to record their strongest quarter in more than two years.

Futures on major US stock indices point to a higher opening Friday ahead of a wave of economic data including core PCE price index and Chicago PMI.

Wall Street was set for a third day of losses Thursday as jobless claims data failed to meet heightened market expectations, leaving investors to wonder if the economy can sustain a rally.

Claims for jobless benefits fell to 359,000, but Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned this week that recently improved employment data seem out of sync with the pace of U.S. economic growth.

Futures on major US stock indices point to a lower opening on Thursday ahead of economic data including final estimates for fourth quarter GDP and initial jobless claims.