By Oliver Gray
Investing.com - U.S. stock futures moved higher in overnight deals on Wednesday, after closing in positive territory during regular trade as mostly positive economic releases steadied investor sentiment.
On Wednesday, the Dow added 236.82 points or 0.68% to 34814.4, the S&P 500 added 37.96 points or 0.85% and the Nasdaq composite gainrd 123.77 points or 0.82% to 15161.53.
Among stocks, the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSE:XLE) gained nearly 3.7%. Exxon (NYSE:XOM) added 3.3% as WTI crude rose. Citigroup (NYSE:C) up 2.4% and Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) 1.1% on rising U.S. Treasury yields. Industrial stocks also lifted, with General Electric (NYSE:GE) and Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) adding 1.77% and 1.68% respectively. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) shares gained 1.6% after announcing a dividend increase and a sizable $60 billion share repurchase program.
Among data, US industrial production rose in line with forecasts, import prices dropped for the first time in 10 months and the New York Empire State Manufacturing Index accelerated more than expected.