US STOCKS-Futures perk up on vaccine hopes as stimulus stand-off weighs

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* Futures up: Dow 0.19%, S&P 0.19%, Nasdaq 0.29%

By Medha Singh
Oct 16 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures rose on Friday
as Pfizer said it could apply for emergency use of its COVID-19
vaccine candidate as early as November, shaking off worries over
a stand-off in Washington on more fiscal aid.
The drugmaker's shares PFE.N firmed 1% in premarket
trading after it said it would file for U.S. emergency approval
of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate being developed along with
Germany's BioNTech SE 22UAy.F as soon as a safety milestone is
achieved in the third week of November. BioNTech's U.S.-listed shares BNTX.O jumped 2.4%.
Trading on Wall Street this week has been dictated by news
about more federal aid to help businesses and households reeling
from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the S&P 500 on
track for its smallest weekly gains in three.
Talks between Democrats and Republicans seemed unlikely to
yield a deal before the Nov. 3 election at a time when data has
underscored a struggling labor market and a stalling economic
recovery. President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden
will return to the campaign trail with visits to three
battleground states, a day after the two contenders clashed from
afar during dueling televised town halls. Meanwhile, after a mixed start to the third-quarter earnings
season from the big Wall Street lenders, investors will look
next week to results from Netflix Inc NFLX.O , one of the
technology mega-caps that have benefited from stay-at-home
demand during the pandemic.
Analysts' expectations for S&P 500 companies' earnings have
improved to an 18.8% fall from a 25% tumble forecast three
months earlier.
Schlumberger SLB.N dipped 0.4% ahead of its results
scheduled before the opening bell.
At 6:35 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis 1YMcv1 were up 55 points, or
0.19%, S&P 500 e-minis EScv1 were up 6.5 points, or 0.19%, and
Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQcv1 were up 34.25 points, or 0.29%.
Gilead Sciences Inc GILD.O slipped 1.3% as a World Health
Organization study concluded its COVID-19 drug remdesivir does
not help patients who have been admitted to hospital. Gilead has
questioned the findings of the study. Boeing Co BA.N rose 3.3% as a report said Europe's
aviation regulator had declared the U.S. planemaker's 737 MAX
safe to fly again.