Stock futures point to higher open

[September 30, 2009]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- Wall Street is set for a higher open on the last day of the quarter, as investors await reports on employment and the gross domestic product.

Stock futures are up Wednesday, which means the market may recoup some of its losses from Tuesday's pullback. Investors began selling on a surprise drop in consumer confidence that raised new doubts about the pace of the economic recovery.

While investors wait for the release of the government's September jobs report later this week, they may get a sense of what those numbers will show when the ADP National Employment Report, a private sector jobs tally, is released. They will also get a measure the Commerce Department's latest reading on second-quarter GDP. Both reports come out before trading begins.

Dow Jones industrial average futures are up 35, or 0.4 percent, at 9,708. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures are up 4.50, or 0.4 percent, at 1,059.30, while Nasdaq 100 index futures are up 6.50, or 0.4 percent, at 1,722.00.

[Associated Press; By IEVA M. AUGSTUMS]

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