US STOCKS-M&A, Dell earnings lift futures

Stock index futures rose on Wednesday after estimate-beating results from Dell and a deal for Sanofi-Aventis to buy Genzyme for $20.1 billion in cash.

French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis SA (SASY.PA) agreed to buy Genzyme Corp (GENZ.O) for a sweetened $74 a share as merger and acquistion activity continued to bring fresh cash into the market. Its share rose 1.6 percent to $75.70 premarket.

Dell Inc (DELL.O), the world's No. 2 personal computer maker, flew past profit and margins expectations in the latest show of strength from corporate America that has helped lift stocks. Its shares jumped 6.9 percent at $14.87 premarket.

There are a few dynamics at play, said Oliver Pursche, president at Gary Goldberg Financial Services in Suffern, New York. Number one, you've had a very strong earnings season. Number two, M&A is clearly picking up.

Billionaire investor Nelson Peltz's Trian Group offered to acquire Family Dollar Stores Inc (FDO.N) for $55 to $60 per share in cash, giving the company an implied value of $7.6 billion. Family Dollar advanced 28.2 percent to $56.35.

Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O) reported stronger quarterly earnings on surging ad sales and upgrading customers to higher-priced packages. The shares rose 5.6 percent to $25.50 premarket.

S&P 500 futures SPc1 rose 4 points and were above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures DJc1 jumped 33 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures NDc1 added 6 points.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index of leading European shares .FTEU3 added 0.3 percent after Asian stocks closed up overnight, with Japan's Nikkei .N225 climbing to a nine-month high.

Economists expect January U.S. producer prices to have risen by 0.8 percent overall and 0.2 percent, excluding food and energy, according to a Reuters poll. The data, due at 8:30 a.m. EST (1330 GMT), comes as investors grow concerned about signs of inflationary pressures.

Some softening is expected in January industrial output, which is forecast to rise by 0.5 percent, compared with the previous month's 0.8 percent increase. The data is due at 9:15 a.m. EST (1415 GMT).

The release at 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) of minutes of the Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee's January meeting may show some discussion of the Fed's bond buying program being tapered off.

U.S. stocks slipped off 2-1/2-year highs on Tuesday as U.S. retail sales data cast doubts on a rebound in consumer spending, a vital part of the economic recovery.