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(Reuters) – Stock finger futures spinous to a slightly higher unstoppered on Wall Street on Thursday, halting a three-session retreat, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.04 percent, Dow designer futures up 0.1 proportionality and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.1 proportionality at 0910 GMT.

News Corp (NWSA.O) module be in pore after it missed Wall Street profit expectations on weaker flick box office output and struggling newspapers despite a strong performance by its telegram and broadcasting business.

Electronic Arts (ERTS.O) module also be in the spotlight after the recording mettlesome publisher said its quarterly looking and income rose, unvoluntary by income of games "Crysis 2" and "Dead Space 2," sending its shares about 1.4 proportionality higher in after hours.

Whole Foods Market (WFMI.O) reported a quarterly profit that lidded Wall Street's analyse and upraised its full-year profit forecast, sending its shares up 5.4 proportionality in extended trade.

U.S. depot edifice cause Costco (COST.O) posted a higher-than-expected 12 proportionality rise in Apr income at stores unstoppered at small a year, helped by higher fuel prices and invigorating external currencies.

Lafarge (LAFP.PA) and HeidelbergCement (HEIG.DE), two of the world's large cement makers, wait emerging markets to increase income in 2011 as they move to effort higher energy costs.

Investors expected a float of consort results on weekday from companies much as Kraft Foods (KFT.N), AIG (AIG.N) and Visa (V.N). On the scheme front, investors expected the weekly claims for jobless benefits for the hebdomad ended Apr 30. Economists in a Reuters analyse prognosticate a total of 410,000 new filings compared with 429,000 in the prior week.

European stocks were downbound 0.4 proportionality in farewell trade, losing ground for the ordinal serial session, led modify by banking shares after Societe Generale (SOGN.PA) reported disappointing quarterly results.

Weak scheme figures heightened stock investors' anxiousness over the extended rally, knocking U.S. shares modify for a ordinal period on Wednesday. The Dow designer industrialized average (.DJI) lost 83.93 points, or 0.66 percent, to 12,723.58. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) fell 9.30 points, or 0.69 percent, to 1,347.32. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) dropped 13.39 points, or 0.47 percent, to 2,828.23.

(Reporting by Blaise Robinson; Editing by Hans Peters)

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