Stock futures move higher before opening bell

STEVE ROTHWELL
FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 17, 204, file photo, Trader Peter Tuchman works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock futures rose Tuesday as investors assessed the latest round of company earnings. Delta Air Lines climbed in premarket trading after its earnings beat analysts' forecasts.

KEEPING SCORE: Dow Jones industrial average futures were up 78 points to 16,475 about 30 minutes before the opening bell. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures were up eight points to 1,842, and the Nasdaq futures gained 20 points to 3,605.

MILE HIGH: Delta gained 3.2 percent before the opening bell after reporting a better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit as fares and traffic rose. The airline's president said that demand was strong and forecast that profit margins would increase in the current quarter.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS : Verizon climbed 0.5 percent after it reported fourth-quarter earnings of $5.1 billion, more than analysts forecast. The company lost $4.2 billion in the same period a year earlier.

TREASURIES AND COMMODITIES: The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.84 percent from 2.82 percent on Friday. The price of oil edged up 33 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $94.87 a barrel. Gold fell $13.30, or 1.1 percent, to $1,238 an ounce.