Stock futures modestly higher ahead of GDP report

NEW YORK — Stock futures are pointing to a modestly higher opening as investors await a key reading on the nation’s economic health.

Overseas markets were lower.

Investors have spent the past couple of months hunting for clues on the strength of the expected economic recovery. Thursday’s gross domestic product reading will finally give them a precise measurement of how the economy has fared.

Economists predict GDP rose at an annual rate of 3.3 percent in the third quarter.

A report on weekly unemployment claims is expected to show a small decline.

Dow Jones industrial average futures are up 36, or 0.4 percent, at 9,747. Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures are up 4.00, or 0.4 percent, at 1,042.60, while Nasdaq 100 index futures are up 4.25, or 0.3 percent, at 1,684.25.