U.S. stock futures surged Tuesday morning, with those tied to the Dow industrials futures signaling a 200-point jump as the market sought to rebound from its worst 10-session start to a year ever. The jump came as analysts said a report on a slowdown in Chinese economic growth is both spurring stimulus hopes and comforted investors who had feared worse. Asian and European markets gained. U.S. investors, returning from a three-day weekend, will be digesting a reading on housing and quarterly earnings from Bank of America Corp., UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. S&P 500 futures ESH6, +1.28% rose 26 points, or 1.4%, to 1,901.25, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures YMH6, +1.34% advanced 226 points, or 1.4%, to 16,138. Nasdaq 100 futures NQH6, +1.34% tacked on 61 points, or 1.5%, to 4,201. The S&P SPX, -2.16% and Dow DJIA, -2.39% have skidded 8% and 8.3%, respectively, so far this year as of Friday’s close, suffering their worst 10 trading days at the beginning of a year ever. On Monday, U.S. stock exchanges were closed for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Technical analysts were debating the support level that will indicate whether this latest correction will become a bear market, generally defined as a 20% decline from a previous peak. A few analysts are pointing to the S&P 500 Aug. 25 closing low of 1867.61 as the make-or-break level. Economic news: China’s government said the nation’s growth rate moderated to 6.8% for the fourth quarter and 6.9% for 2015. The annual pace was the weakest in 25 years, and the quarterly level fell short of expectations. But analysts said investors now hope Beijing will ramp up stimulus and noted that Chinese markets have already sold off sharply this year. “The added measures could now be imminent,� said James Hughes, chief market analyst at GKFX, in a note, referring to the possible fresh stimulus efforts. He said investors “could well get an announcement before the start of the New Year celebrations at the beginning of February.� Read: Perma-bear Marc Faber says China growth is just 4% In U.S. economic news, a January figure for a home builders’ index is due at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, with economics polled by MarketWatch expecting a reading of 62. Check out: MarketWatch’s Economic Calendar Other markets: Asian markets closed higher, as China’s Shanghai Composite SHCOMP, +3.22% finished up 3.2% and scored its first back-to-back session rises this year. European stocks SXXP, +2.15% gained, and oil futures CLG6, -0.27% also traded higher. Gold futures GCG6, -0.44% stepped lower, while a key dollar index DXY, +0.18% inched up. Individual movers: Bank of America Corp. BAC, -3.54% shares rose 2.2% in premarket action after the bank posted quarterly earnings that beat forecasts. Delta Air Lines Inc. DAL, -1.85% initially dropped after the carrier’s profit and revenue missed expectations, but then shares turned higher, rising 2.6% before the opening bell. Morgan Stanley MS, -4.35% climbed 4% in premarket trade after the bank’s quarterly profit topped expectations, and UnitedHealth Group Inc. UNH, -1.35% gained in thin premarket action after the health insurer’s adjusted fourth-quarter earnings beat views. Read more: Woeful earnings threaten to intensify stock-market bloodbath Meanwhile, Amazon.com Inc. AMZN, -3.85% shares rose 1.4% after a report by the U.K.’s Daily Mail that “Amazon may be about to deliver a tie-up with Ocado,� a British online supermarket. And Twitter Inc. shares TWTR, -5.58% could see active trading after the social network struggled with a service outage early Tuesday. Johnson & Johnson JNJ, -1.91% gained 1.1% premarket after the health-care company said it would cut 6% of the workforce for its medical-devices business. Tiffany & Co. TIF, +1.18% fell 3.7% after the jewelry retailer posted a holiday-period sales decline and cut its outlook. Apple Inc. AAPL, -2.40% tech rivals like Samsung Electronics Co. 005930, +4.00% and car markers are facing accusations from Amnesty International that their batteries could contain cobalt mined by child laborers. The report said the cobalt is mined by children as young as seven in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a Verge article said. Netflix Inc. NFLX, -2.82% and IBM Corp. IBM, -2.17% are due to post quarterly results after the close.

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