NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Stocks looked to rally early Thursday as investors awaited some economic numbers and the latest earnings from Dell.

U.S. stock futures were up in early trading, indicating a higher opening for stocks, despite the admission early Thursday from North Korea that it has nuclear weapons, as the country announced it would pull out of arms-control talks.

Just before the markets open investors will get a look at the December U.S. trade report as well as the latest reading on jobless claims.

Economists surveyed by Briefing.com forecast that the trade gap will slip to $57 billion from the record $60.3 billion level in November.

They also estimate that 325,000 filed for initial jobless claims last week, up from 316,000.

Analysts surveyed by earnings tracker First Call forecast that Dell to report earnings of 36 cents a share in its fiscal fourth quarter when it reports after the market close Thursday, up 25 percent from a year earlier.

Weaker-than-hoped for results from tech bellwether Cisco Systems (Research) helped send U.S. markets lower Wednesday, despite gains at Hewlett Packard (Research) after CEO Carly Fiorina left the computer maker. But analysts are clearly counting on better results from the No. 1 maker of personal computers, even after Cisco CEO John Chambers suggested Tuesday that corporate customers are still cautious about tech spending.

"We've already had really good reports from Microsoft and Intel and those are the two most important suppliers to Dell," Mark Stahlman, an analyst with Caris & Company, told CNN/Money earlier this week. "Both had upside surprises from their PC and server-related business."

Japan's Nikkei closed at a seven-week high Thursday on reports of a possible merger between Daiwa Securities and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group. Other major markets in Asia were closed for the lunar new year holiday.

Major European markets lower in early trading after weaker than forecast earnings from automaker DaimlerChrysler (Research) and cell phone equipment maker Ericsson (Research).

Oil prices continue to gain in early trading Thursday, after edging higher on a U.S. fuel inventory report showed an unexpected tightening in supplies.

The March light crude contract gained 61 cents to $46.07 a barrel in electronic trading, while Brent crude rose 74 cents to $43.87.

Bond prices edged lower, lifting the yield on the 10-year treasury to 4 percent from the 3.98 percent it hit late Wednesday. The dollar gained against the euro and the yen.

In corporate news, the Wall Street Journal reported that Dow component Verizon Communications (Research) had made a bid for long-distance provider MCI (Research) that matched an offer from Qwest Communications (Research), a rival Baby Bell.

Wal-Mart Stores (Research) announced late Wednesday it is closing a store in Quebec that was closest to reaching a union contract. The company said it had no choice after it called unreasonable demands from the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which was organizing workers at the store. But critics see this as an effort by the world's largest retailer to remain union-free.