Global stocks were generally higher on Thursday morning, ahead of the weekly look at U.S. jobless claims.
U.S. stock index futures were higher with a little more than an hour before markets open, suggesting that stocks will rise at the start of trading. Futures for the Dow Jones industrial average were up 17 points or 0.2 per cent. Futures for the broader S&P 500 were up 2 points or 0.1 per cent. Both indexes rose on Wednesday, helped out by strong earnings.
In Europe, the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was down 0.1 per cent and Germany's DAX index was up 0.6 per cent in afternoon trading. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 1.9 per cent in overnight trading.
Yahoo Inc. jumped 16.4 per cent in premarket activity following reports that rival AOL Inc. -- spun off from Time Warner Inc. in 2009 -- and a couple of private equity firms are exploring the possibility of making a bid for the Internet search engine company, in an attempt to merge two struggling brands.
However, education company Apollo Group Inc. fell more than 18 per cent in premarket activity a day after it reported its fourth quarter results. While earnings topped analyst expectations, the company withdrew its fiscal 2011 guidance, citing regulatory challenges ahead.