By Ellis Mnyandu
In economic news, U.S. productivity in the fourth quarter rose at a stronger-than-expected pace as the biggest cutback in working hours in nearly five years helped restrain growth in labor costs, the Labor Department said.
"It's probably the natural inclination of markets to try to bounce after a bad day," said Peter Boockvar, equity strategist at Miller Tabak & Co in New York. "There's no question that Disney helped and productivity numbers coming in better than expected didn't hurt either."
Dow Jones industrial average futures were up 20 points. Nasdaq 100 futures rose 6.5 points.
The news could put other metals and mining companies in the
spotlight, including Alcoa Inc
Time Warner Inc said it expects profit growth to slow in 2008 but possibly exceed Wall Street's estimates. Excluding items, it reported quarterly earnings that matched Wall Street's estimates.
(Editing by Kenneth Barry)
