Stocks are looking perkier Wednesday as investors wait for a raft of data on the U.S. economy.
U.S. stock futures were edging higher, with the S&P 500 index up 0.2%.
Payroll processor ADP will release its monthly private-sector jobs report at 8:15 a.m. ET Wednesday, while the Census Bureau will publish data on new home sales at 10:00. The Federal Reserve will release its Beige Book, a summary of regional economic conditions, at 2:00 p.m..
U.S. stocks slipped Tuesday. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were lower for a third straight session.
European markets were firmer in morning trading, drawing support from final purchasing managers’ data for November that came in a little better than expected.
Stocks in Asia struggled to find direction, and were mixed at the close. The Shanghai Composite led the region with a 1.3% gain, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.8%. Japan’s Nikkei lost more than 2% as the yen bounced between gains and losses.
