US STOCKS-Futures up ahead of jobless, durable goods data

                                
   * Jobless, durable goods, consumer sentiment data awaited
                                
 * Tiffany rises, Deere falls after qtrly results
                                
 * Dollar slides to 15-month low after Fed minutes
                                
 * Indexes up: S&P 5.7 pts, Dow 25 pts, Nasdaq 8.25 pts
                                
 * For up-to-the-minute market news, click [STXNEWS/US]
                                
(Adds quote and company results)
                                
 By Ryan Vlastelica
                                
 NEW YORK, Nov 25 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures rose
on Wednesday, as the dollar fell and investors awaited data
that could offer insight into how firmly a recovery is taking
hold.
                                
 With five closely watched indicators on tap, investors will
have plenty of numbers to assess the strength of the recovery
and whether the S&P's 22 percent rise this year still has legs.
For more details see [ECI/US]
                                
 The most important datapoint may be weekly jobless claims,
coming a day early because of the U.S. Thanksgiving Day
holiday, to measure the strength of the labor market.
                                
 "The tendency of the market has been to move higher with
thoughts of recovery, but unemployment is the main sticking
point," said Rick Meckler, president of LibertyView Capital
Management in New York. "For the markets to move up
significantly today, the employment number will have to be
positive."
                                
 Meckler added that the markets historically perform well
going into the Thanksgiving holiday. "Absent poor economic
news, it's likely to be an up day," he said.
                                
 S&P 500 futures <SPc1> rose 5.7 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> gained 25
points, while Nasdaq 100 futures <NDc1> rose 8.25 points.
                                
 The U.S. dollar index <.DXY> fell 0.7 percent, dropping to
a 15-month low against a currency basket after U.S. Federal
Reserve minutes showed that policymakers saw the dollar's
recent decline as "orderly." [ID:nGEE5AO19B]
                                
 The decline on Wednesday boosted commodities, lifting gold
to record highs at $1,182.10 an ounce in Europe, while January
crude futures by 0.4 percent to $76.31 per barrel.
                                
 Luxury retailer Tiffany & Co <TIF.N> advanced 7 percent to
$44.75 in premarket trading after the company reported a
bigger-than-expected quarterly profit and said sales growth in
November so far has been similar to its expectations.
[ID:nN25324014]
                                
 Farm equipment maker Deere & Co <DE.N> fell 2.7 percent to
$50.90 before the bell after reporting a fourth-quarter loss
and projecting a decline in its equipment sales in 2010.
[ID:nN25342884]
                                
 According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association,
demand for U.S. home loans slipped last week even as mortgage
rates hovered near record lows. [ID:nNYS007566]
                                
 U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday on lackluster economic data,
though the losses eased after the Fed raised its growth
expectations. [ID:nN24320337]
                                
 (Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)