LONDON -- After rallying more than 1% yesterday, the futures market suggests the Dow Jones Industrial Average
However, other economic news is expected to be positive and may help lift the market during the day. Home sales figures for April are expected to show an improvement from March, with consensus forecasts suggesting an increase in the annual sales rate from 4.48 million to 4.65 million.
Further afield, news that China is planning to bring forward major infrastructure projects helped lift Asian stocks overnight, while high expectations for tomorrow's EU leaders' summit continued to support share prices in Europe.
The FTSE 100
Elsewhere in Europe, reduced OECD growth forecasts for the eurozone region failed to seriously dampen sentiment, while news that U.K. inflation had fallen to within its target range for the first time since February 2010 was well-received in London. Buyer appetite was strong during the latest Spanish government bond auction, but the interest came at a price, with the yield on six-month bills rising to 1.74% from 1.58% in April.
Rising oil and copper prices meant that big miners and resource stocks gained in London trading this morning, with Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton
Billionaire investor Warren Buffet is being talked about again today, following the announcement that dialysis clinic operator DaVita
Although Buffett's investments are usually in the U.S., he did recently invest in the U.K., making a $1 billion investment in a leading British blue-chip brand with global expansion potential. You can discover the name of the company and the price he paid in this special free report.
A number of major retail and tech companies are due to release earnings today, including Best Buy, Medtronic, and Polo Ralph Lauren. Dell will provide its latest quarterly update after the markets close tonight.
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