Stock futures rise ahead of economic indicators

Friday, December 16, 2011, Vol. 35, No. 50

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock futures are rising as the market looks to continue the rally seen late in the previous session.

On Wednesday, the Dow Jones industrial average eked out a gain of 4 points after having been down 104 points at midday.

Investors will weigh a number of economic indicators Thursday, including weekly unemployment claims, the government's final reading on third-quarter economic growth and the Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators.

Stock indexes in Europe rose in light, pre-holiday trading. Germany's Dax, London's FTSE-100 and France's CAC 40 each rose more than 1 percent.

Less than two hours before the start of trading, futures for the Dow were up 63 points to 12,087, while futures for the broader S&P 500 index are up 7 points to 1,243.