U.S. futures point to modest gains; Dow Jones up 0.20%

Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to modest gains at the start of the week on Monday, as Friday’s stronger-than-forecast U.S. employment data eased concerns over the economic outlook, while investors evaluated new plans to tackle the debt crisis in the euro zone.

Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.20% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.34% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.43% increase.

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Labor said the U.S. economy added 163,000 jobs in July, the biggest increase since February and outstripping expectations for an increase of 100,000.

However, the U.S. unemployment rate unexpectedly ticked up to 8.3%, from 8.2% in the preceding month, keeping alive speculation over the possibility of further monetary stimulus from the Federal Reserve.

The European Central Bank indicated Thursday that it may restart its bond buying program, to help lower Spanish and Italian borrowing costs.

ECB President Mario Draghi said any such action was conditional on euro zone governments experiencing difficulty on bond markets applying to the bloc’s bailout funds to purchase government bonds and accepting strict conditions and supervision.

In the auto sector, shares in General Motors rallied 4.70% in pre-market trade, after it reported that car sales in China were up 15% year-over-year in July, boosted by government policies aimed at supporting car purchases in rural areas.

On the downside, shares in Knight Capital Group tumbled 26.67% in pre-open activity.

The trading firm reached a rescue deal worth approximately USD400 million with an investment group over the weekend, after a software glitch last Wednesday led to a USD440 million loss and a massive decline in customer confidence.

Meanwhile, shares of the Las Vegas Sands Corp. were expected to be in focus, following reports in the Wall Street Journal that the Justice Department has launched an investigation into whether the corporation and several of its executives violated money-laundering laws.

In earnings news, results from Tyson Foods Inc. were expected ahead of the open.

Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were higher. The EURO STOXX 50 was up 0.88%, France’s CAC 40 climbed 0.62%, Germany's DAX added 0.65%, while Britain's FTSE 100 climbed 0.24%.

During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rallied 1.69%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index jumped 2.0%.

Later in the day, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was to speak; his comments would be closely watched by investors.