Stocks Seen Higher, Helped by TI By Michael Flaherty NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock futures pointed to a higher open on Wednesday, thanks to a round of better-than-expected earnings in the previous session that helped to snap the market's four-day losing streak. Shares of Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) , the world's largest maker of chips for cell phones, traded higher overseas a day after reporting earnings that declined but topped a forecast it gave in December. Video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS.O: Quote , Profile , Research ) jumped nearly 5 percent after hours after it posted profits for its fiscal third quarter that beat market expectations. On Wednesday, Praxair Inc. (PX.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) , a supplier of gas to chemical and chip makers, posted higher fourth quarter earnings on higher sales and forecast strong 2005 growth. S&P 500 futures (SPH5: Quote , Profile , Research ) rose 3.1 points, above fair value accounting for interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial index futures (DJH5: Quote , Profile , Research ) were up 27 points, while Nasdaq 100 (NDH5: Quote , Profile , Research ) futures climbed 7 points higher. "The impression I get is that investors are starting to be satisfied with the numbers we're seeing," said Alex Scott, market strategist at Seven Investment Management. "With the prime focus on corporate earnings right now, Texas Instruments came through with good numbers and that's helping the futures." Oil prices eased but stayed within sight of $50 a barrel on supply worries in the United States, where weekly data is expected to show a draw in winter fuel inventories. U.S. light sweet crude was down 29 cents to $49.35 a barrel in electronic trading. Rising oil prices raises concerns that higher energy costs will pinch corporate profits and curb consumer spending. International Business Machines Corp. (IBM.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) and Corio (CRIO.O: Quote , Profile , Research ) will be eyed after IBM said it had agreed to buy Corio, a company which delivers name-brand software from other companies as a pay-as-you-go service to businesses, for $182 million in cash. U.S. stocks broke a four-day losing streak on Tuesday, pushing the Dow to its biggest percentage gain in about a month, as earnings from blue-chip companies Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) and DuPont Co. (DD.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) , coupled with positive consumer confidence data, brought investors back into the market. The Dow Jones industrial average ended up 92.95 points, or 0.90 percent, at 10,461.56. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 4.66 points, or 0.40 percent, at 1,168.41. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 11.25 points, or 0.56 percent, at 2,019.95. Quelle "Stocks Seen Higher, Helped by TI" : reuters.com Main page for "Stocks Seen Higher, Helped by TI"