Futures dip after two-day run, ahead of payrolls

[January 09, 2015]  By Chuck Mikolajczak

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were lower on Friday, after a two-day rally in equities put the S&P 500 back in positive territory for the new year and ahead of a key report on the labor market.

* The S&P 500 added 3 percent over the last two sessions, retracing a good portion of its 4.2 percent loss in the previous five trading days, on expectations the U.S. economy will continue to accelerate and hopes the European Central Bank will take more aggressive stimulus action in the coming weeks.

* The two-day run has put the S&P slightly higher for the week, up 0.2 percent, with the Dow up 0.4 percent and the Nasdaq up 0.2 percent.

* The December payrolls report is due at 8:30 a.m. ET. Expectations call for 240,000 non-farm payrolls to be added after the outsized 321,000 increase in November.

* Later in the session at 10:00 a.m. ET, wholesale trade data for November is expected. Inventories are estimated to climb 0.3 percent versus a 0.4 percent increase in October.

* AbbVie <ABBV.N> forecast 2015 earnings largely above analysts' average estimate after the close on Thursday, betting on its recently approved hepatitis C drug and growth in its auto-immune disease treatment, Humira.

* Agenus Inc <AGEN.O> shares surged 39.4 percent to $4.75 before the opening bell after the company reached a development deal with Incyte Corp <INCY.O> for novel immuno-therapeutics. The stock was the most actively traded on the Nasdaq in premarket and volume of over 516,000 shares nearly equaled its 50-day moving average.

* U.S.-listed shares of Infosys <INFY.N> rose 5.1 percent to $33.73 in premarket after India's second-largest software services exporter beat forecasts and maintained its sales growth outlook for the year.

* European shares were lower after a two-day winning streak, with Spain's Banco Santander sliding over 10 percent after announcing a capital increase and dividend cut while Asian stocks rose on upbeat expectations for U.S. jobs data.

Futures snapshot at 8:10 a.m.:

* S&P 500 e-minis were down 7.25 points, or 0.35 percent, with 133,757 contracts changing hands.

* Nasdaq 100 e-minis  were down 8.5 points, or 0.2 percent, in volume of 20,295 contracts.

* Dow e-minis were down 61 points, or 0.34 percent, with 22,721 contracts changing hands.

(Editing by Bernadette Baum)

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