U.S. stock-index futures rose, indicating that the benchmark Standard & Poor’s 500 Index will continue a global rally in equities, as Qualcomm Inc. beat estimates and Whole Foods Market Inc. raised its forecast. Qualcomm, the biggest maker of mobile-phone chips, soared 7.3 percent in early New York trading and Whole Foods, the largest U.S. natural-goods grocer, surged 8.6 percent in Germany. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. added 2.1 percent as the price of metals gained in London. Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. fell 5.2 percent after Canada blocked BHP Billiton Ltd.’s planned takeover. Futures on the S&P 500 expiring in December increased 0.6 percent to 1,204.6 at 7:32 a.m. in New York. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures added 0.5 percent to 11,238 and Nasdaq-100 Index futures advanced 0.6 percent to 2,176.5. The S&P 500 gained 0.4 percent yesterday after the Federal Reserve said it will purchase about $75 billion a month of assets through June in the central bank’s second round of so- called quantitative easing since the financial crisis. Asian stocks extended the global rally as the central bank also left unchanged its pledge to keep interest rates low for an “extended period.” “The Fed’s move is a very constructive event,” said Jonathan Fayman, a fund manager at BlueBay Asset Management Plc in London, which oversees about $38 billion. “Markets were clearly not priced for it, many participants reduced risk or let the event transpire to then make a decision, and those participants are clearly re-entering the market.” Productivity, Jobless Benefits A measure of the productivity of U.S. workers rose in the third quarter as companies redoubled their efforts to rein in costs, economists said before a Labor Department report due at 8:30 a.m. in Washington. A second report at that time may show the number of Americans seeking jobless benefits held in a range that indicates the labor market is on the mend. Tomorrow, the Labor Department will say that the unemployment rate in October was 9.6 percent for a third month, according to the median forecast of economists. Private payrolls, which exclude government agencies, rose by 80,000, the survey showed. Some 293, or 77 percent, of the 380 S&P 500 companies to have reported earnings since Oct. 7 have beaten analyst estimates for per-share profit, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Qualcomm, Whole Foods Qualcomm jumped 7.3 percent to $49.01 in New York. The mobile-phone chipmaker forecast fiscal first-quarter profit and sales that topped analysts’ estimates as demand for smartphones increases. The San Diego-based company predicted earnings in the current quarter of 58 cents to 62 cents a share. That compares with the 52-cent average of projections compiled by Bloomberg. Qualcomm forecast sales of $3.05 billion to $3.35 billion, more than the $3 billion average estimate. Whole Foods soared 8.6 percent to $44.59 in Germany, indicating that the stock will rise for a fifth day. The largest U.S. natural-goods grocer raised its 2011 profit forecast to a range of $1.66 to $1.71 a share, compared with an earlier prediction of no more than $1.64. Freeport, the world’s largest publicly traded copper producer, climbed 2.1 percent to $99.13 as metals rebounded in London. Standard Chartered Plc said that copper will extend its bull run as “mammoth demand” from China, the largest user, and supply constraints combine to drive the market into a deficit from next year until 2014. Potash, Apple Potash Corporation retreated 5.2 percent to $137.94. Canada blocked BHP Billiton Ltd.’s $40 billion hostile takeover bid for Potash Corp., the world’s largest fertilizer producer. Apple Inc. added 0.9 percent to $315.66 in German trading. The third-largest company by market value was rated a new “outperform” at Robert Baird. Chevron Corp., the second-largest U.S. energy company, also climbed 0.9 percent to $83.48. Oil may return to $100 a barrel for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis as the Fed’s stimulus measures weaken the dollar, drawing investors to raw materials, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. and BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research. To contact the reporter on this story: Adam Ewing in Stockholm at aewing5@bloomberg.net. To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Merritt at dmerritt1@bloomberg.net.

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