After moving mostly higher over the course of the two previous sessions, stocks could see some further upside in early trading on Thursday. The major index futures are currently pointing to a moderately higher open for the markets, with the Dow futures up by 50 points.
Technology stocks may help to lead the markets higher once again after seeing substantial strength during trading on Wednesday.
Shares of IBM Corp. (IBM) are moving to the upside in pre-market trading after the tech giant reported better than expected second quarter earnings growth. While the company's revenues fell short of estimates, IBM also raised its full-year earnings guidance.
Online auctioneer eBay (EBAY) is also likely to see early strength after reporting better than expected second quarter results. Shares of eBay are surging up by 7.6 percent in pre-market trading.
Meanwhile, shares of Morgan Stanley (MS) may come under pressure in early trading after the financial giant reported weaker than expected second quarter earnings amid a notable drop in revenues.
Disappointing employment data could also limit any early upside for the markets, as the Labor Department released a report showing a bigger than expected rebound by jobless claims in the week ended July 14th.
A slew of additional economic data is scheduled to be released a half-hour after the start of trading, with investors likely to keep an eye on reports on existing home sales, leading economic indicators, and Philadelphia-area manufacturing activity.
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