* Japan plant radiation, Libya violence add to volatility
* US Feb pending home sales, personal income data on tap
* Telecom shares rise on analyst upgrades
* Futures up: Dow 21 pts, S&P 2.8 pt, Nasdaq 8 pts
* For up-to-the-minute market news see []
(Adds quote, updates prices)
By Ryan Vlastelica
NEW YORK, March 28 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures
rose on Monday, building on three sessions of gains, though
developments in Japan and Libya remained in view, suggesting
further volatility ahead.
Reports of soaring radiation levels at a damaged nuclear
plant in Japan renewed worries over the country's reactors
after an earthquake and tsunami, though Nikkei futures <NKc1>
began to recover. For details, see []
In the Middle East and North Africa, violence spread as
rebels in Libya pushed west over the weekend to retake a series
of towns from the forces of Muammar Gaddafi. In Syria,
President Bashar al-Assad deployed the army in the country's
main port of Latakia for the first time after nearly two weeks
of protests spread across the country. []
The issues surrounding Japan's nuclear disaster and civil
unrest have pressured markets in recent weeks, and while much
of those losses have been recouped, the volume of trade has
been limited as investors continue to watch headlines closely
for trading cues.
"Those issues are still lingering with the market, though I
don't think as much attention is being paid as two weeks ago,"
said Robert Pavlik, chief market strategist at Banyan Partners
LLC in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. "There's more confidence
now that we've recovered from the drop we saw on the news."
Market participants are also looking ahead to February
personal income and consumption data, due at 8:30 a.m. []. Income is seen rising 0.4 percent while consumption is
seen rising 0.6 percent.
S&P 500 futures <SPc1> rose 2.8 points and were above fair
value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account
interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the
contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures <DJc1> added 21
points and Nasdaq 100 futures <NDc1> rose 8 points.
Robert W. Baird upgraded a number of telecom companies to
"outperform," including Dow components AT&T Inc <T.N> and
Verizon Communications Inc <VZ.N>, saying AT&T's deal to buy
T-Mobile would help stabilize the hyper-competitive industry.
[]
U.S.-listed shares of Nokia Corp <NOK.N> rose 3.2 percent
to $8.62 in premarket trading as Goldman Sachs upgraded the
stock to "buy," citing the handset maker's long-term growth
potential. []
Eastman Kodak Co <EK.N> surged 19 percent to $4.05 in
premarket trading after a U.S. trade panel agreed to review the
company's claim that Research in Motion Ltd <RIM.TO><RIMM.O>
and Apple Inc <AAPL.O> are infringing on Kodak's patents.
[]
U.S. pending home sales for February, due from the National
Association of Realtors at 10 a.m., are seen falling by 1
percent after a string of weaker-than-expected data for the
battered housing sector.
A strong forecast from Oracle Corp <ORCL.O> lifted Wall
Street to a third straight day of gains on Friday, giving the
S&P its best weekly performance since early February, but
volume remained light.
(Editing by Padraic Cassidy)
