NYSE_Wall Street
Traders stand outside the New York Stock Exchange prior to the opening bell on Oct. 31, 2012. Reuters/Brendan McDermid

Stock futures suggest an upbeat opening to markets after Friday's fall as buzz about big-ticket mergers fuel optimism while concerns over the continuing crisis in Ukraine should temper sentiment.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 0.4 percent while futures on the S&P 500 were up 0.38 percent and those on the Nasdaq were up 0.38 percent. On Friday, the Dow ended the day down 0.85 percent while the S&P 500 fell 0.81 percent and the Nasdaq lost 1.75 percent.

Companies like Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF), Jones Lang LaSalle Inc (NYSE:JLL), Loews Corporation (NYSE:L) and The Progressive Corporation (NYSE:PGR) are among those scheduled to announce earnings Monday. On the data front, the pending home sales index is due at 10 a.m. EDT while the Dallas Fed's manufacturing survey is due at 10:30 a.m.

In Europe, markets were positive with the Stoxx Europe 600 index up 0.42 percent while the FTSE 100 was up 0.3 percent. Germany’s DAX-30 rose 0.83 percent while France's CAC-40 was up 0.52 percent.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei-225 ended the day down 0.98 percent while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.09 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.41 percent and the Shanghai Composite dropped 1.62 percent. South Korea’s Kospi slipped 0.12 percent while India's BSE Sensex lost 0.25 percent.

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