U.S. stock-index futures signaled a strong day for Wall Street as earnings from Texas Instruments Inc. beat analysts' estimates and Japan and Australia broadened efforts to support financial institutions. Several U.S. blue-chips rose ahead of early trading. Texas Instruments climbed 5.1, and Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. rose more than 2.7 percent in Germany. American Express Co. rose 2.4 percent in Europe after posting a fourth-quarter profit that was better than the most pessimistic estimates. Standard & Poor's 500 Index futures expiring in March gained 0.9 percent to 838.1 as of 10:39 a.m. in London. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gained 0.8 percent to 8,102 and Nasdaq-100 Index futures increased 0.3 percent to 1,182.75. Yesterday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended slightly higher, as investors were cheered late in the day by a report from the National Association of Realtors that showed housing sales jumped in December due to low prices.
