Stock futures tick up ahead of data flurry

[July 03, 2014]  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures ticked up in light volume on Thursday after the S&P 500 and the Dow industrials closed at a record, ahead of a short session on Wall Street that is packed with economic data.

* The key government non-farm payrolls numbers are due at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT) and are expected to show the economy created 212,000 jobs last month according to a Reuters survey of economists. The unemployment rate is expected to remain at 6.3 percent.

* Data on international trade, claims for unemployment insurance as well as two sets of numbers on the U.S. services sector are also due later on Thursday.

* The closing bell will ring at 1 p.m. (1700 GMT) and equity markets will be closed Friday for the Independence Day holiday.

* S&P 500 e-mini futures <ESc1> were up 2 points and fair value - a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract - indicated a slightly higher open. Dow Jones industrial average e-mini futures rose 15 points and Nasdaq 100 e-mini futures added 5 points.

* Volkswagen denied planning a bid for U.S. truck maker Paccar after analysts published comments in a research note from a senior executive of German rival Daimler saying he had heard of such a plan. Paccar shares were inactive in early trading.

* Lululemon shares rose 4.5 percent in light premarket trading as founder Dennis Wilson's advisers have been talking to private equity firms about a possible buyout, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

* Regado Biosciences shares fell 38.6 percent after the Data Safety Monitoring Board started an unplanned review of data from a trial and the company said patient enrollment has been paused until the DSMB returns with recommendations.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

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