Stock futures higher ahead of Christmas; Brent dips to 11-year low

[December 21, 2015]    By Abhiram Nandakumar

(Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were sharply higher on Monday, ahead of a holiday-shortened week, while Brent crude hit an 11-year low.

* Trading volumes are expected to be relatively light this week, with U.S. stock markets operating a shortened session on Thursday and closing on Friday for Christmas.

* Crude oil prices have been sliding under continued pressure from global oversupply and tepid demand. [O/R]

* China will keep its monetary and fiscal policies "accommodative" in 2016 to help support the slowing economy, according to a Reuters report, citing a source with direct knowledge of the annual Central Economic Work Conference.

* Global stocks rose, taking cues from a surge in Asian stocks as investors bought into Chinese blue-chips.

* U.S. stocks closed lower on Friday, on worries ranging from lower crude prices to the global response to the Federal Reserve's interest hike.

* With two weeks left in 2015, the Nasdaq Composite is the only one of the three major indexes in the black, having risen 3.9 percent so far this year. The S&P is down 2.6 percent, while the Dow Jones industrial average is down 3.9 percent.

* Disney shares were up 2.1 percent at $110.11 in premarket trading as "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" shattered box office records with an estimated $517 million in worldwide ticket sales through Sunday.

* Apple was up 1.5 percent at $107.53. The iPhone maker signed a patent-licensing deal with Swedish mobile telecom gear maker Ericsson, ending a year-long dispute.

* Microsoft was up 0.9 percent at $54.60 after a Barron's report on Sunday that the Windows operating system maker's shares could rise 30 percent over the next 18 months.

Futures snapshot at 6:51 a.m. ET:

* Dow e-minis were up 132 points, or 0.78 percent, with 22,191 contracts changing hands.

* S&P 500 e-minis were up 17.5 points, or 0.88 percent, with 136,708 contracts traded.

* Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 41.5 points, or 0.92 percent, on volume of 21,866 contracts.

(Additional reporting by Aastha Agnihotri in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

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