Equity futures edged higher in early trading as Wall Street digested fresh economic data showing U.S. jobless claims fell to 211,000 last week. Analysts suggest strong labor numbers could pressure the Fed to keep rates elevated, which may cause short-term volatility in index futures. S&P 500 futures gained 0.3%, signaling a cautious risk-on sentiment. So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. We now need to evaluate how much profit the company reinvests or "retains" for future growth which then gives us an idea about the growth potential of the company. Generally speaking, other things being equal, firms with a high return on equity and profit retention, have a higher growth rate than firms that don’t share these attributes. "This is a field where it will not be a zero sum game," Humpton said. "It's going to take a lot of players to build out this marketplace." Equity futures dipped after manufacturing ISM data came in below expectations. Weak output numbers stoked recessionary fears, pushing Dow futures down 0.3%. Defensive utilities and staples futures saw marginal gains amid sectoral risk aversion.