US pre-open: Stocks set for gains as UK voters head to the polls

US futures pointed to a positive open on Wall Street, underpinned by expectations that the UK will vote to remain in the European Union on Thursday.

At 1055 BST, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up 0.9%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures were 1% and 1.1% firmer, respectively.

At the same time, oil prices were mixed, with West Texas Intermediate down 1.1% to $48.85 a barrel and Brent crude up 1.3% at $50.53.

Stocks in Europe were sharply higher, with the benchmark Stoxx 600 index up 1.6% and the FTSE 100 1.5% higher.

In currency markets, meanwhile, the pound was 0.2% versus the dollar at $1.4833, having hit a 6-month high of $1.4844 in Asian trading.

Although opinion polls were split, the rally in risk assets seemed to suggest investors were hopeful of a vote for the status quo in the UK's referendum on European Union membership.

An Opinium survey gave the Leave campaign a one-point lead, at 45% to 44%, while a poll by TNS also showed Brexit was ahead at 43%, with Remain on 41%.

On the other hand, a ComRes survey for the Daily Mail and ITV News put Remain on 48% and Leave on 42%. Excluding undecided voters, it found remain leading Leave by 54% to 46%. Meanwhile, a YouGov poll gave Remain a two-point cushion, ahead of leave by 51% to 49%.

The mood in financial markets was boosted in late morning trade, as it emerged that the odds of a Remain vote in the EU referendum at bookmaker Betfair surged to 84%.

The bookie said the implied probability of Brexit shifted from 22.7% to 17.2% in the space of a few minutes earlier on Thursday.

Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda, said: “Today’s referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU is arguably the biggest risk event of the year and with a number of polls suggesting the race is neck and neck, I would expect the markets to be quite volatile at times over the next 24 hours.”

In corporate news, Barnes & Noble was sharply higher in pre-market trade despite saying late on Wednesday that losses in the final quarter of the year widened.

On the downside, software company Red Hat was under pressure after it issued downbeat guidance for the year.

Bank of America was likely to be in focus following reports the bank was moving closer to settling a case with US regulators.

On the macroeconomic calendar, US initial jobless claims are at 1330 BST, while leading indicators and new home sales are at 1500 BST.