U.S. stock-index futures tip strong open for Wall Street

U.S. stock-index futures sat solidly higher late Thursday, suggesting a strong open for Wall Street after a pullback in the previous session. 

About 11 hours ahead of the start of Friday trade, futures for the S&P 500 SPX, -1.03% Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.89% and Nasdaq 100 all traded at levels implying 0.5% opening gains for each. In previous trading Wednesday, ahead of the New Year's Day break, the S&P 500 fell 1%, while the Nasdaq Composite COMP, -0.87% and Dow industrials each closed with a 0.9% loss.