U.S. stock futures edge higher behind techs - MarketWatch

U.S. stock futures edge higher behind techs - MarketWatch

Oil futures were back above $100 a barrel, up 88 cents to $100.40 a barrel, as OPEC left production unchanged.

The earnings calendar isn't too crowded, though there were a few results in the retail sector.

Costco Wholesale (COST:

COST

reported a 31% profit rise, while Big Lots (BIG:

BIG

reported a 12% profit fall.

Some tech stocks traded higher in Frankfurt, with Dell (DELL:

DELL

and Intel (INTC:

INTC

among the advancers.

Financials - including Citigroup (C:

C

, badly bruised on Tuesday -- also rose in pre-open trade.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Inc. (YHOO:

YHOO

and Time Warner (TWX:

TWX

are stepping up talks aimed at finding an alternative to Microsoft's (MSFT:

MSFT

Yahoo bid. The talks center on a deal that would fold Time Warner's AOL Internet unit into Yahoo, the report said.

Overseas markets were split, with Asian stocks generally posting a flat performance, while stocks in Europe rose after five straight losses.

The Nikkei 225 ended 0.2% lower in Tokyo, while the German DAX 30 rose 1.4%.