US futures open slightly higher, Dow futures rise 81 points

U.S. stock index futures were slightly higher Wednesday morning. Dow futures jumped 81 points, indicating a positive open of more than 74 points. Futures on the S&P and Nasdaq were both marginally higher.

On the data front, the Labor Department will publish its producer price index (PPI) for January at 8 a.m. ET, with housing starts for January, building permits for January and a business leaders survey for February all due at the same time.

An advanced fourth-quarter reading of the Census Bureau’s Quarterly Services Survey (QSS) will be released slightly later in the session.

The Federal Reserve is also scheduled to publish its meeting minutes from December, when policymakers at the U.S. central bank decided to hold the federal funds rate steady between a range of 1.5% to 1.75%.

In corporate news, Elanco Animal Health, Garmin and Genuine Parts are among some of the companies scheduled to report earnings before the opening bell.

Host Hotels, Synopsys and Zillow are among some of the companies set to release their latest quarterly figures after market close.