U.S. stock futures lean higher before Bernanke testimony - MarketWatch

U.S. stock futures lean higher before Bernanke testimony - MarketWatch

Crude-oil futures rose 78 cents to $94.05 a barrel.

Earnings season rolled on, with Comcast (CMCSA:

CMCSA

) rallying 4.9% in pre-open deals after announcing a dividend payment for the first time since 1999 and reporting a 54% profit rise.

Marriott International (MAR:

MAR

met fourth-quarter expectations, but its 2008 guidance was a bit short of analyst estimates.

Baidu.com (BIDU:

BIDU

) jumped 6.2% in pre-open trade after the Chinese search provider reported a faster-than-forecast rise in fourth-quarter net profit.

UBS (UBS:

UBS

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) said it still has significant exposure to the troubled U.S. mortgage market, raising fears of further write-downs, as it confirmed a $13.7 billion charge had sent its bottom line plunging into the red.

Asian stock markets surged, with the Nikkei 225 jumping 4.2% in Tokyo, helped by surprisingly robust Japanese growth data as well as the Wall Street gains.

A wave of mostly healthy earnings helped stocks in Europe rise, with the French CAC 40 up 1%.