Futures Pointing To Early Strength On Wall Street

(RTTNews) - After ending Wednesday's trading roughly flat following a late-day pullback, stocks are likely to move back to the upside in early trading on Friday. The major index futures are currently pointing to a higher open for the markets, with the Dow futures up by 35 points.

The markets may benefit from the recent upward momentum on Wall Street, which has lifted the Dow to new record highs above 18,000.

Stocks have trended higher since last Wednesday, when the Federal Reserve said it would be patient in beginning to normalize the stance of monetary policy.

Traders seem to have interpreted the remark as an indication that the Fed will be cautious in its decision to begin raising interest rates.

Continued signs of strength in the economy have also contributed to the recent positive sentiment, as the U.S. continues to outperform many of the other major developed nations.

Nonetheless, trading activity is likely to be relatively subdued, as many traders are likely to remain away from their desks following the Christmas Day holiday on Thursday.