NEW YORK (CNNfn) - U.S. stock futures rose modestly Wednesday morning, signaling that the major indexes will at least begin the day with the idea of stretching this week's advance to a third session.
Those indexes have mustered two straight gains this week after enduring one of their worst weeks ever as the market reopened following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Alan Ackerman, market strategist at Fahnestock & Co., told CNNfn's CNNmoney Morning that the recovery from the selloff is likely to continue. (376K WAV) (376K AIFF)
The Dow Jones industrial average begins the session at 8,659.97 following a 56-point advance Tuesday. The blue-chip indicator remains about 950 points below its level when trading resumed Sept. 17 after the four-day hiatus due to the attack.
The Nasdaq composite index starts at 1,501.64 after adding about 2 points Tuesday. The S&P 500 is at 1,012.27 after gaining nearly 9 points.
Asian markets closed mixed Wednesday, with Tokyo lower and Hong Kong advancing. European markets also were mixed in midday trading.
Treasury prices were little changed, with the 10-year note yield holding at 4.70 percent. The dollar strengthened slightly against both the euro and yen.
Brent oil futures slipped 33 cents to $22.15 a barrel in London as OPEC oil ministers gathered in Vienna. The cartel is not expected to cut production even though economies around the world are slowing.
The brokerage firm Goldman Sachs reported a decline in fiscal third-quarter income to 87 cents a share from $1.62 a year earlier. But the lower result was better than the 81-cent-a-share consensus forecast of analysts surveyed by research firm First Call. Goldman (GS: Research, Estimates) lost 48 cents Tuesday to $70.03.
Companies continue to issue warnings about the quarter ending this month, particularly in light of the terrorist attack 15 days ago. Goodyear Tire & Rubber (GT: Research, Estimates) said its third-quarter earnings will fall to 5 cents a share from 11 cents a share a year ago, while aerospace manufacturer Textron (TXT: Research, Estimates) projected a loss rather than the profit previously expected and said it will cut 2,500 jobs. Goodyear rose 10 cents to $18.40 Tuesday, while Textron gained 64 cents to $43.
Chipmaker Micron Technology (MU: Research, Estimates) reported a fiscal fourth-quarter loss that was far wider than expected. Its shares fell $1.23 to $20.01 in before-hours trading Wednesday. 
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