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Wall Street is on track to open higher Friday, looking to advance for the third day straight and following on from gains in Europe, although any bad news in Friday’s housing report could dent investors’ confidence.

According to spread bettors IG index, the Dow Jones industrial average is expected to open around 26 points higher at 13,018. S&P 500 futures were 4.10 higher at 1,428.70, while Nasdaq 100 futures were up 4.50 to 2,040.25.

The stock market Thursday notched its second straight daily advance, with investors assuaged by a pullback in oil prices and some better-than-expected economic data. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 94.28 or 0.73%, to close at 12,992.66, the Nasdaq composite index gained 37.03, or 1.48%, to 2,533.73, and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index added 14.91, or 1.06%, to 1,423.57. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 3.82% from 3.92% late Wednesday, and light, sweet crude for June delivery fell 10 cents to settle at $124.12 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

ECONOMIC DATA:

• Housing starts for April, 8:30 a.m. ET, 940,000 estimate
• Building permits for April, 8:30 a.m. ET, 915,000 estimate
• Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary consumer sentiment index for May, 10 a.m. ET, 62.5 estimate

AFTER-HOURS ACTION:

After Thursday’s close of trading, department store operators Kohl’s Corp. and Nordstrom Inc. both said profit fell in the first quarter. Autodesk Inc. said profit jumped 14% in the fiscal first quarter, but the company cut its outlook for profit because of stock compensation costs. BMC Software Inc. said fiscal fourth-quarter earnings rose 55%, and Compuware Corp. reported fourth-quarter net earnings that topped the consensus Wall Street forecast.