U.S. Stock-index Futures Tip Strong Open For Wall Street

U.S. stock-index futures sat solidly higher late Thursday, suggesting a strong open for Wall Street after a pullback in the previous session. About 11 hours ahead of the start of Friday trade, futures for the S&P 500 , Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq 100 all traded at levels implying 0.5% opening gains for each. In previous trading Wednesday, ahead of the New Year's Day break, the S&P 500 fell 1%, while the Nasdaq Composite and Dow industrials each closed with a 0.9% loss. The gains for the U.S. futures came as Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was up 0.8% in late morning trade, though many of the other major stock markets remained closed for the holiday. The advance also coincided with a rebound for New York-traded crude-oil futures, as the February contract was up 1.2% in electronic trade after a 1.6% retreat Wednesday.