Wall Street Aims To Open In Positive Territory

Economic Indicators - The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for November is expected to increase by 0.3 percent, with the release scheduled for 8:30 am ET [3] - Jobless Claims for the week are anticipated to be 225K, down from 236K in the prior week [3] - The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index for December is forecasted to rise by 2.2, following a decrease of 1.7 in November [3] - The third quarter Current Account deficit was $251.3 billion in the prior quarter [4] - E-Commerce Retail Sales for the third quarter showed a 1.4 percent increase in the previous quarter [4] - Leading Indicators for November are expected to be down 0.3 percent from the prior month [5] - The EIA's Natural Gas Report indicated a decrease of 177 bcf in gas stock in the prior week [5] Market Performance - Asian shares mostly finished lower, with the Shanghai Composite index up by 0.16 percent to 3,876.37 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slightly higher at 25,498.13 [5] - Japanese markets hit three-week lows, with the Nikkei average falling 1.03 percent to 49,001.50 and the broader Topix index down 0.37 percent to 3,356.89 [6] - European shares are trading mostly higher, with the CAC 40 Index up 17.23 points or 0.21 percent, the DAX gaining 62.05 points or 0.26 percent, and the FTSE 100 Index progressing 1.52 points or 0.02 percent [6][7] - The Swiss Market Index added 19.19 points or 0.15 percent, while the Euro Stoxx 50 Index increased by 22.41 points or 0.39 percent [7] Futures Market - As of 7:30 am ET, Dow futures were up 85.00 points, S&P 500 futures added 26.75 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures progressed 196.25 points [2]