Stock index futures rise; Nordstrom in focus

* Nordstrom will be a focus after the retailer forecast 2011 profit below forecasts on charges related to its HauteLook acquisition, the first wrinkle in an otherwise smooth string of profit reports from department stores.

* Commodities rebounded, with U.S. crude oil futures rising more than $1 a barrel to above $100 while London copper extended gains, moving further away from five-month lows hit in the previous session.

* European shares bounced back, buoyed by some strong corporate results and as Germany's gross domestic product grew faster than expected in the first quarter.

* Soaring growth lifted Germany's economy back to pre-crisis levels in the first quarter, data showed, reflecting a broad-based recovery that points to robust if slightly slower expansion rates through the rest of the year.

* On the macro front, investors awaited April Consumer Price Index, as well as the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment index.

* Boeing will be in focus after Airbus parent EADS said its cash pile hit a record 12.2 billion euros ($17.32 billion) as it posted higher-than-expected first-quarter earnings.

* London Stock Exchange , in the process of buying Canadian group TMX , beat earnings forecasts in a crucial test of Chief Executive Xavier Rolet's strategy.

* Defensive shares led a rebound in U.S. stocks on Thursday as investors weighed mixed economic signals and volatility in commodities.

* The Dow Jones industrial average was up 65.89 points, or 0.52 percent, at 12,695.92. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 6.57 points, or 0.49 percent, at 1,348.65. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 17.98 points, or 0.63 percent, at 2,863.04.

(Reporting by Blaise Robinson. Editing by Jane Merriman)