MARKET SNAPSHOT: U.S. Stocks: Futures Gain Ahead Of Factory Orders, Fed Speakers

By Barbara Kollmeyer, MarketWatch

Dollar regains some momentum versus euro

U.S. stock futures rose moderately on Monday tempered by more weak economic data out of China and as investors await a report on factory orders and a slate of Federal Reserve speakers to glean more clues on the pace of rate hikes.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YMM5) rose 60 points, or 0.3%, to 17,992, while those for the S&P 500 index (ESM5) added about 7 points to 2,108. Futures for the Nasdaq-100 (NQM5) rose 14 points to 4,478.75.

The German DAX 30 index was up 1.5%, leading gains for European stocks (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-edge-lower-with-uk-market-closed-2015-05-04) after the release of robust manufacturing data for the eurozone. London markets are closed for a holiday.

China's Shanghai Composite Index , meanwhile, closed higher on Monday (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/china-shares-drift-lower-2015-05-03), recovering from earlier losses after data showed the country's manufacturing activity slowed more sharply than forecast. Tokyo markets were closed for a holiday.

Read: Icahn: Junk bonds now 'even more dangerous' than stock market (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/icahn-junk-bonds-now-even-more-dangerous-than-stock-market-2015-05-03)

Data: The only piece of U.S. data for Monday is factory orders, scheduled for 10 a.m. Eastern Time. Forecasters are calling for a rise of around 2.4% in March, after a gain of 0.2% in February broke a six-month streak of declines.

Those expectations could turn out to be too optimistic, said Nour Al-Hammoury, chief market strategist at ADS Securities in Abu Dhabi, in a note. "If the figure does disappoint, the level of uncertainty regarding the Federal Reserve Policy will only increase," he said.

Chicago Fed President Charles Evans will give a speech in Columbus, Ind. at 12:25 p.m. Eastern Time, while San Francisco Fed President John Williams will speak to a small-business trade group in San Francisco at 3:10 p.m. Eastern.

Wall Street is looking ahead to the nonfarm-payrolls report due Friday. Forecasters predict job creation in April will bounce back significantly after a disappointing 126,000 increase in March, which was the smallest in 15 months.

Read: Roses or thorns? Wall Street awaits pivotal jobs report for April (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/roses-or-thorns-wall-street-awaits-pivotal-jobs-report-for-april-2015-05-03)

Stocks to watch: McDonald's Corp. (MCD) shares dropped 1.1% after chief executive Steve Easterbrook unveils turnaround plan.

Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) announced that its longtime head, John Chambers, (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ciscos-john-chamber-to-relinquish-ceo-role-in-july-2015-05-04) is being replaced in July internally by Chuck Robbins.

Comcast Corp.(CMCSA) said it would buy back $6.75 billion in shares in 2015, as it reported earnings rose in the first quarter. Shares jumped 1.8%.

Read: Media, smaller energy companies provide bulk of results as earnings taper off (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/media-smaller-energy-cos-provide-bulk-of-results-as-earnings-taper-off-2015-05-03)

Shares of Charter Communications Inc.(CCMMV) could be in focus after The Wall Street Journal (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/charter-expresses-interest-in-friendly-deal-talks-with-time-warner-2015-05-03-15103119) reported, citing sources, that the company has started to approach the management of Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC) about a friendly merger.

Shares of Syngenta AG rallied 8% in Switzerland after a media report last week said U.S. seed group Monsanto Co.(MON) had approached its rival about a takeover. The Swiss stock index was closed on Friday for a holiday.

Other markets: The dollar regained some strength on Monday, with the euro (EURUSD) pulling back to $1.114, a 0.5% drop. Oil prices (CLM5) also moved higher, along with gold (GCM5).

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