May 03, 2012- Stocks Remain Cautious Edging Slightly Higher

Sentiment seems to have turned slightly positive on Thursday, as reflected by the U.S. index futures, which are marginally higher. Although caution prevailed ahead of Friday's non-farm payrolls numbers, some movement could be expected in reaction to the Institute for Supply Management's non-manufacturing data and chain store sales to be released by the nation's retailers. In Europe, fairly positive Spanish debt auction results have triggered positive market reaction. As of 6:30 am ET, the Dow futures are rising 14 points, the S&P 500 futures are adding 2.40 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures are gaining 5 points. U.S. stocks closed Wednesday's session on a mixed note after the release of a report showing a smaller than expected addition to private sector payrolls. On the economic front, the Labor Department is due to release its customary jobless claims report for the week ended April 28th at 8:30 am ET. Economists expect claims to edge down to 378,000 in the recent reporting week from 388,000 in the previous week.