US STOCKS-Futures rise as recovery hopes offset virus fears

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* Futures up: Dow 0.30%, S&P 0.44%, Nasdaq 1.01%

By Medha Singh and Devik Jain
July 17 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures edged higher on
Friday as investors bet on more official stimulus to drive a
post-pandemic economic revival, even as COVID-19 cases saw
another record rise at home.
BlackRock Inc BLK.N , the world's largest asset manager,
rose 1.8% in premarket trading after reporting a jump in
quarterly profit as investors poured money into its fixed-income
funds and cash management services. As the second-quarter earnings season gets underway,
investors are looking for clues on the path of recovery for
Corporate America. Unprecedented stimulus measures and improving
economic data have helped the S&P 500 rise to within 5% of its
February record high.
Investors are also hoping for more fiscal support, as a
program that offers additional weekly $600 checks for the
unemployed ends this month, leaving millions of gig workers and
self employed among others without an income.
The S&P 500 and the Dow have risen so far this week after
promising data on a COVID-19 vaccine helped investors look past
a record-breaking increase in coronavirus cases in the United
States.
The Nasdaq, in contrast, is down about 1.4% since last
Friday's record closing high as investors rotated out of
technology stocks and moved into cyclical sectors.
At 6:34 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis 1YMcv1 were up 79 points, or
0.3%. S&P 500 e-minis EScv1 were up 14 points, or 0.44% and
Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQcv1 were up 106.5 points, or 1.01%.
Netflix Inc NFLX.O shed 6.7% in premarket trading after it
forecast its subscriber growth during the coronavirus pandemic
would slow even more than Wall Street expected during the third
quarter. United Airlines UAL.O rose 1.5% after saying it has
reached an agreement with its pilots' union on two different
packages aimed at reducing involuntary furloughs in the fall and
keeping pilots at the ready once coronavirus-hit demand starts
to pick up.