Stocks are indicated modestly higher after global equity markets advanced on news of a $10 billion Dubai rescue. Thirty minutes before the opening bell on Wall Street, stock index futures indicate that the Dow Jones Industrial Average might add 20 or 30 points at the open.

Stock benchmarks traded mixed in Asia and are mostly higher across Europe after Abu Dhabi agreed to lend Dubai $10 billion to avert a default on a key bond set to expire today. Japan’s Nikkei finished with a modest loss, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added .84 percent. A 1 percent gain in UK’s FTSE is pacing the advance in Europe.

Trading is quiet in other markets. With no economic data and not much other news to guide the early trading, bonds are holding modest gains. The benchmark ten-year Treasury is up 2/32nd and yields 3.54 percent

The dollar eased .45 to 88.5 against the Japanese Yen. The euro added .0018 to1.4642 against the buck.


Crude oil lost another 62 cents to $69.25 and gold edged p $2.1 to $1122 an ounce.

Among the stocks to watch, XTO Energy (XTO) is up 18 percent after Exxon Mobile (XOM) made a $31 billion bid for the company. Sun Micro (JAVA) gained 10 percent after Oracle (ORCL) said it has had constructive talks with the EU over its bid for JAVA. Google (GOOG) might see action after the Wall Street Journal reported that the company is set to launch its own mobile device next year.