US Stock Futures Flat; Bernanke, Economic Data In Focus

US stock futures are mostly flat this morning, ahead of a second day of testimony by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 4 points to 13,863.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 0.30 points to 1,492.70. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 1.25 points to 2,706.50.

US stocks closed higher on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average surging 0.84% to 13,900.13, the S&P 500 index rising 0.61% to 1,496.94 and the Nasdaq 100 index gaining 0.43% to 3,129.65.

The Mortgage Bankers' Association purchase applications index will be released at 7:00 a.m. ET, while data on durable goods orders for January will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. The pending home sales index for January will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET.

priceline.com (NASDAQ: PCLN) reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings.

First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) issued downbeat first-quarter forecast.

Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR) is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.99 per share on revenue of $2.23 billion. Target (NYSE: TGT) is expected to report its Q4 earnings at $1.48 per share on revenue of $22.66 billion. J. C. Penney Company (NYSE: JCP) is estimated to post a Q4 loss at $0.15 per share on revenue of $4.09 billion. Joy Global (NYSE: JOY) is expected to report its Q1 earnings at $1.14 per share on revenue of $1.08 billion.

AES (NYSE: AES) is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.30 per share on revenue of $4.10 billion. Liberty Interactive (NASDAQ: LINTA) is expected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.42 per share on revenue of $3.18 billion. Mylan (NASDAQ: MYL) is estimated to post its Q4 earnings at $0.64 per share on revenue of $1.73 billion. Pall (NYSE: PLL) is expected to post its Q2 earnings at $0.67 per share on revenue of $635.29 million.

The TJX Companies (NYSE: TJX) is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.81 per share on revenue of $7.65 billion. Limited Brands (NYSE: LTD) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $1.74 per share on revenue of $3.76 billion. NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG) is expected to post a Q4 loss at $0.15 per share on revenue of $2.55 billion. Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.03 per share on revenue of $639.59 million.

European markets were mixed today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index fell 0.13%, London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.10%, French CAC 40 Index rose 0.43% and German DAX 30 index declined 0.06%.

Asian markets ended mostly higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average declining 1.27%, China's Shanghai Composite gaining 0.87% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rising 0.62%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 0.25% and India's Sensex rose 0.72%.