Wall Street futures get Bernanke boost

 

The Associated Press

U.S. stock futures are jumping after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the central bank would keep supporting the economy.

Dow Jones Industrial futures are up 131 points at 15,374. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 futures are up 16 points at 1,665. Nasdaq futures are up 27 points at 3,024.

Bernanke said Wednesday that the U.S. needs low interest rates and other economic support "for the foreseeable future." That reassured investors dismayed by Bernanke's comments last month that the Fed would likely slow its bond purchases this year.

Commodities were also big gainers. Oil touched its highest price in more than a year, above $107 per barrel before easing.

Later Thursday, investors will be watching reports on weekly claims for unemployment benefits and reports from select retailers on June sales.

Read more Markets stories from the Miami Herald

Miami Herald

Join the
Discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere on the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

The Miami Herald uses Facebook's commenting system. You need to log in with a Facebook account in order to comment. If you have questions about commenting with your Facebook account, click here.

Have a news tip? You can send it anonymously. Click here to send us your tip - or - consider joining the Public Insight Network and become a source for The Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.

Hide Comments

This affects comments on all stories.

Cancel OK

  • Videos

  • Quick Job Search

Enter Keyword(s) Enter City Select a State Select a Category