U.S. Stock-Index Futures Rise

U.S. stock-index futures rose as investors speculated companies' earnings and takeovers will help shares recoup losses from a global sell-off.

``All conditions are in place for a rebound in stocks as earnings are still good and mergers and acquisitions keep supporting markets,'' said Andrea Bailo, who helps manage $330 million at Banca MB SpA in Milan.

Citigroup Inc., the world's biggest financial firm by market value, climbed in Europe as the company pursues its third bid in five months for an Asian financial firm.

Monster Worldwide Inc. gained after Citigroup advised investors to buy stock of the Web's largest job-search engine. Ford Motor Co. advanced as Credit Suisse Group said it expected the loss at the second-largest U.S. automaker to narrow. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, increased before releasing same-store sales for February.

Standard & Poor's 500 Index futures expiring in March added 10.50 to 1403.70 as of 12:24 p.m. in London. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advanced 75 to 12,276. Nasdaq-100 Index futures climbed 18.50 to 1756.

U.S. stocks fell yesterday after D.R. Horton Inc., the nation's second-largest homebuilder, said a yearlong housing slump is unlikely to end in 2007 and the Federal Reserve cited slowing growth in several local economies.

A Bloomberg survey released today shows economists, looking beyond the latest weakness in housing, investment and stock markets, expect the U.S. economy to strengthen this year. A government report today on jobs may lend support to that forecast.

`Fundamental Picture'

Asian stocks advanced today, led by Japanese exporters after the yen weakened, making the nation's products cheaper overseas. European stocks rallied for a third day.

``The positive fundamental picture for stocks hasn't changed,'' said Oliver Hagen, who manages $139 million in U.S. stocks at LGT Capital Management in Bendern, Liechtenstein. ``We would use any weakness to buy. The recent correction doesn't reverse the stable up trend. The mental frame of the bull market is still in place and the economy is still solid.''

The S&P 500 has fallen 4.6 percent since Feb. 20 when it reached a six-year high, boosted by mergers and acquisitions.

The U.S. economy, the world's largest, may expand at a 2.4 percent annual rate this quarter, and accelerate to 3 percent by year's end, according to the median estimate of 75 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News from March 1 to March 7. The economy grew at a 2.2 percent pace in the last three months of 2006.

Separately, a U.S. Labor Department report on jobless claims may show the number of Americans applying for state jobless benefits dropped last week, one week after total unemployment rolls reached a 14-month high.