Futures higher ahead of ECB meeting, private jobs data

[June 03, 2015]  By Tanya Agrawal

(Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were higher on Wednesday ahead of the European Central Bank's monetary policy meeting and the release of private sector job numbers.

* The ECB is widely expected to reaffirm its commitment to a trillion-euro asset purchase program.

* U.S. private employers are expected to have added 200,000 jobs in May, a jump from the 169,000 jobs added in April. The data, expected at 8:15 a.m. ET (1215 GMT), is a precursor to the U.S. Labor Department's non-farm payrolls report on Friday, which includes both public and private-sector employment.

* Also due on Wednesday are trade deficit numbers for April at 8:30 a.m. ET and the Institute for Supply Management's non-manufacturing index for May at 10:00 a.m.

* Investors have been keeping a keen eye on economic data for clues on the timing of a rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve - the first in nearly a decade.

* U.S. stock markets closed down on Tuesday as a jump in bond yields hit utilities and other top dividend payers.

* Synchronoss Technologies' shares jumped 17.6 percent to $50 in premarket trading after the Wall Street Journal reported that the software maker was working on a possible sale that could be valued at more than $2 billion.

* Guess <GES.N> inched up 0.4 percent to $18.73 after reporting a quarterly profit, compared with a loss in the year-earlier period.

Futures snapshot at 7:18 a.m. ET:

* S&P 500 e-minis  were up 7 points, or 0.33 percent, with 109,242 contracts traded.

* Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 18.25 points, or 0.41 percent, on volume of 19,044 contracts.

* Dow e-minis were up 54 points, or 0.3 percent, with 16,463 contracts changing hands.

(Reporting by Tanya Agrawal; Editing by Ted Kerr)

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