U.S. stock futures advanced, indicating the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index will climb for a second day, as investors awaited a report on jobless claims and China’s exports increased more than expected. News Corp. gained 2.3 percent after Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. recommended that investors buy the shares. Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) climbed 2.1 percent as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its recommendation on the shares. Tiffany & Co. (TIF) slumped 8.8 percent after it forecast earnings for 2013 that missed estimates. S&P 500 futures expiring in March added 0.4 percent to 1,461.70 at 8:02 a.m. in New York. Contracts on the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 41 points, or 0.3 percent, to 13,366 today. The number of shares changing hands in Stoxx Europe 600 Index’s companies was 162 percent above the 30-day average at this time of day, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. “The China exports report is good news,� said Jacques Porta, a fund manager who helps oversee $627 million at Ofi Patrimoine in Paris. “This proves that the economy is restarting, and China is a good advance indicator of the world economy. The atmosphere is positive, and investors want to pursue further gains. The risks to these gains may come from profit warnings and political affairs in Washington on talks on the debt ceiling.� The S&P 500 climbed 0.3 percent yesterday, halting a two- day decline, after Alcoa Inc. reported better-than-estimated sales, encouraging optimism about fourth-quarter corporate earnings. Profit at S&P 500 companies probably increased 2.9 percent in the fourth quarter, according to analysts’ forecasts compiled by Bloomberg News. Budget Deal The equity benchmark gained 4.6 percent in the first week of 2013, its biggest rally since December 2011, as Congress passed a bill avoiding spending cuts and tax increases scheduled to come into effect at the beginning of this year. Exports from the world’s second-biggest economy increased 14 percent in December from a year earlier, China’s customs administrations data showed. That was the most since May and compared with the average economist estimate of 5 percent, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. A Labor Department report at 8:30 a.m. in Washington will show initial jobless claims fell to 365,000 in the week ended Jan. 5 from 372,000 a week earlier, according to the median estimate of economists in a Bloomberg survey. In Europe, Spain’s Treasury sold bonds for 5.82 billion euros ($7.6 billion), exceeding a maximum target of 5 billion euros. Borrowing costs fell during the country’s first debt auction of the year. ECB Decision The European Central Bank kept interest rates on hold as improving economic sentiment underpinned expectations of a gradual recovery this year. ECB President Mario Draghi will hold a press conference at 2:30 p.m. in Frankfurt to explain the decision. News Corp. (NWSA), the Rupert Murdoch-owned company that plans to split its entertainment and publishing businesses next year, climbed 2.3 percent to $26.99 after Bernstein upgraded the shares to outperform, the equivalent of buy, from market perform. Analyst Todd Juenger valued the entertainment-focused Fox Group at $25 a share and the publishing company at $6 a share. Delta Air Lines advanced 2.1 percent to $13.38 after Goldman Sachs raised its recommendation on the shares to buy from sell. The stock’s performance will improve as investors grow more confident of its earnings capability, analysts led by Tom Kim wrote in a note. Tiffany sank 8.8 percent to $57.70 after the world’s second-largest luxury jewelry retailer forecast 2013 earnings that amount to between $3.39 and $3.49 a share, missing the average analyst estimate of $3.80 a share. Earnings for the year ending Jan. 31 will only reach the lower end of its previous forecast, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Kowalski said in a statement. Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) slid 0.9 percent to $26.45 after Morgan Stanley lowered its recommendation on the shares to equal weight, the equivalent of neutral, from overweight. The brokerage said demand for personal computers remains weak. To contact the reporter on this story: Namitha Jagadeesh in London at njagadeesh@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrew Rummer at arummer@bloomberg.net; Lynn Thomasson at lthomasson@bloomberg.net

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