US Stock Futures Suggest Higher Open Following A Positive And Eventful Week Marked By Friday's Jumpy Session; Geopolitics, Economic Data And Earnings To Be Watched

Stock futures pointed to a higher opening Monday following a downward turn Friday despite an overall positive week, which was mainly marked by reactions to comments from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen about the future of monetary policy.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 0.1 percent while futures on the S&P 500 were up 0.19 percent and those on the Nasdaq were up 0.25 percent. On Friday, indexes ended what was a positive performance throughout the week, with a touch of negativity.

On the data front, a flash reading from Markit on the PMI manufacturing index for March is due at 9:45 a.m. EDT.

In Europe, markets were trading down with the Stoxx Europe 600 index falling 0.69 percent, while the FTSE 100 was down 0.4 percent. Germany’s DAX-30 was down 0.75 percent while France's CAC-40 fell 0.79 percent.

In Asia, markets were trading significantly higher with Japan's Nikkei-225 ending the day up 1.77 percent while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.16 percent while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 1.91 percent and the Shanghai Composite rose 0.91 percent. South Korea’s Kospi was up 0.55 percent while India’s BSE Sensex was trading up 1.36 percent.