U.S. stock index futures rose on Wednesday, helped by stronger-than-expected results from computer maker Dell and a rebound in commodity prices.

Dell's shares rose 5.8 percent to $16.82 in premarket trade after the PC manufacturer reported profits late on Tuesday that exceeded expectations. The company also raised its fiscal 2012 outlook for operating income.

The Federal Open Market Committee will release minutes of its April 26-27 meeting at 2 p.m. (1800 GMT). Investors will look for hints on the Federal Reserve's stimulus program known as QE2, which is widely expected to end in June, and will scrutinize any splits in opinion within the committee.

S&P 500 futures rose 3.4 points and were above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration of the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures gained 30 points while Nasdaq 100 futures added 5.5 points.

The S&P 500 <.SPX> and the Dow <.DJI> dipped below their 50-day moving averages on Tuesday, but the weakness prompted some bargain hunting, which helped shares recoup some losses in late trade.

Investors were likely to show caution over the outlook for U.S. economic growth after the latest economic data, which included weak factory output and housing starts figures.

Analysts expect an initial public offering by social networking firm LinkedIn, which is set to be priced on Wednesday, to be a success but said it carries a number of risks.

Delphi Automotive has chosen JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs to lead an initial public offering that could value the auto parts maker at more than $10 billion, sources said.

Intel's chief executive rejected speculation the world's largest chipmaker might adopt rival ARM Holdings' technology to build mobile chips and said smartphones using its silicon are about a year away.

In Europe, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top shares rose in early trade as investors bought beaten-down miners and oil companies as commodity prices rebounded on a weaker dollar.

(Reporting by Angela Moon, Editing by Kenneth Barry)

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