Futures Tick Up After Heavy Selloff

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U.S. stock-index pointed to mild gains for Wall Street after the steepest selloff since June as traders mulled disappointing housing data.

Today's Markets

As of 8:36 a.m. ET, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures climbed 17 points to 15087, S&P 500 futures gained 3.5 points to 1659 and Nasdaq 100 futures advanced 7.5 points to 3079.

The broad S&P 500 declined 2% between Wednesday and Thursday amid worries about how soon the Federal Reserve will begin trimming back its bond-buying program.

The Commerce Department reports housing starts in July rose 5.9% to an annual rate of 896,000 units, below estimates of 900,000 units. Housing permits for the same month rose 2.7% to an annual rate of 943,000 units, slightly missing expectations of 945,000 units. Commerce said total houses under construction hit the highest level since 2009.

The market for new homes has been recovering since the worst financial crisis since the great depression. Shares of companies in the industry, like KB Home (NYSE:KBH), could be impacted by the data.

A reading on consumer sentiment from Reuters and the University of Michigan is seen rising slightly to 85.5 in early August from 85.1 last month. Retailers have had a tough start to the back-to-school season as consumers struggle with a weak economy and higher payroll taxes.

In commodities, oil climbed 17 cents, or 0.14%, to $107.48 a barrel. Wholesale New York Harbor gasoline drifted higher by 0.13% to $2.989 a gallon. Gold rose $3, or 0.22%, to $1,364 a troy ounce.

Foreign Markets

The Euro Stoxx 50 rose 0.18% to 2841, the English FTSE 100 dipped 0.01% to 6483 and the German DAX slumped 0.21% to 8358.

In Asia, the Japanese Nikkei 225 slid 0.75% to 13650 and the Chinese Hang Seng dipped 0.1% to 22518.