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New York - US stock index futures inched higher on Wednesday ahead of data on the labour market after the S&P 500 set its latest record high in the prior session.
Investors await the release of the ADP National Employment report for March at 12:15 GMT for clues on the health of the labor market ahead of Friday's key payrolls report. Expectations are for private employers to have added 195 000 jobs, against 139 000 in the previous month.
Later in the session at 14:00 GMT, factory orders data for February is due. Investors will be looking for signs of growth after the previous month's decline of 0.7% was attributed to a harsh winter. Analysts polled expect an increase of 1.2%.
Shares of MannKind nearly doubled in price, soaring 97.5% to $7.94 in premarket trading on Wednesday after US health advisers on Tuesday recommended approval of the company's inhaled diabetes drug.
S&P 500 e-mini futures rose 2.5 points and were slightly above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures added 24 points and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 8.25 points.
The S&P 500 closed at a record high on Tuesday after data on factory activity indicated economic growth was gaining traction.
Agrium Inc said the late spring season is expected to result in first-quarter earnings per share at just above breakeven.
European shares looked set to stretch their winning streak into a seventh day as positive US car sales data boosted auto makers and underpinned an improving macroeconomic picture from the United States.
Asian share markets added to their recent rally on Wednesday as investors focused on the positive in a mixed bag of global economic data.
