U.S. futures pointed to a higher open on the Wall Street, with Mini Dow industrial average futures advancing 84 points to 12,661.00. The Nasdaq Futures gained 11.50 points to 2,475.75. Standard and Poor's 500 futures rose 8.30 points to 1,316.50.
On the economic front on Wednesday, the ADP National Employment report showed that U.S. private sector added 170,000 jobs in January, down from a downwardly revised 292,000 in December and also below expectations for an addition of 185,000 jobs.
In addition, January's U.S. ISM report and December U.S. construction spending data are due at 10 a.m. ET.
Meanwhile, the euro-zone purchasing managers index (PMI) advanced to 48.8 in January from 46.9 in December. The PMI for Germany came in at 51 in January from 48.4 in the prior month. The U.K. PMI grew to 52.1, an eight-month high, from 49.7.
On Tuesday, U.S. stocks closed on a mixed note, after swinging between gains and losses throughout the session, weighed by disappointing reading on U.S. consumer confidence.
Hot Stocks Of The Day: (AMZN, WHR, STX, JDAS, FTNT, GGC)
Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) plunged 9.4 percent in premarket trading following the Internet retailer's weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter sales and the company warned of a possible first quarter operating loss. The company earned $0.38 per share for the quarter, on sales of $17.4 billion. Wall Street analysts projected earnings per share of 19 cents on sales of $18.2 billion. It sees first-quarter net sales between $12.0 billion and $13.4 billion, while analysts' project $13.4 billion.
Whirlpool Corp. (NYSE:WHR) jumped 8.5 percent in premarket after the home appliances maker guided 2012 earnings above consensus. It sees adjusted earnings per share of $6.50 to $7.00, while analysts project $5.85 a share.
Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ:STX) advanced 9.5 percent in premarket after the hard-drive maker posted a jump in second-quarter earnings, driven by sharp increases in revenues and margins. Gross margin increased to 31.6 percent from 19.5 percent.
Jda Software Group Inc. (NASDAQ:JDAS) slumped 10.9 percent in premarket after the provider of enterprise software announced that U.S. securities regulators are probing its revenue recognition and other accounting matters. The company also reported a quarterly loss.
Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT) gained 10 percent in premarket after the provider of network security appliances reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, spurred by strong product sales.
Georgia Gulf Corp. (NYSE:GGC) dropped 6.4 percent in premarket after the maker of chlorovinyls and aromatics chemicals reportedly rejected a $35-per-share offer from Westlake Chemical Corp. (NYSE: WLK).
Global Markets:
The European markets traded sharply higher buoyed by better-than-expected economic data, with Germany's DAX up 2.16 percent to trade at 6,598.57. France's CAC40 gained 1.51 percent to 3,348.45. Britain's FTSE 100 advanced 1.32 percent to 5,756.69.
Market Scan:
Ahead of the opening bell, crude oil gained 0.29 percent at $98.77 per barrel. Gold rose 0.59 percent to $1,750.7 per ounce.
In the currency market, the euro strengthened 0.66 percent against the U.S. dollar to 1.3171, and the British pound rose 0.49 percent against the greenback. The dollar lost 0.19 percent against the Japanese yen to 76.1205.