CORRECTED-US STOCKS-Wall Street set to open higher on signs of lockdown easing

(Corrects second bullet, paragraph 1 to say orders rose for
"core" U.S. capital goods)
* House clears latest $500 billion relief bill
* U.S. core capital goods March orders unexpectedly gain
* Intel falls on dismal forecast
* AmEx builds up reserves to cover potential loan defaults
* Futures up: Dow 0.84%, S&P 0.93%, Nasdaq 0.67%

By C Nivedita and Shreyashi Sanyal
April 24 (Reuters) - U.S. stock markets were set to gain at
the open on Friday as some states prepared to relax curbs
imposed to contain the coronavirus outbreak, with a surprise
rise in orders for core U.S.-made capital goods also lifting
sentiment.
From Tennessee and Texas to Ohio and Montana, governors
announced plans to swiftly allow a return to business for some
workplaces on signs the pandemic was peaking in some of the
worst hit parts of the country. "We are past the peak and slowly, but surely, all the states
that have not had major cases will gradually re-open, and the
market is taking that as a signal that demand is going to come
back," said Thomas Hayes, managing member at Great Hill Capital
LLC in New York.
Early sentiment was also supported by the latest $500
billion relief package that cleared the U.S. House of
Representatives the previous day. The bill is with President
Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law. The benchmark S&P 500 .SPX is still 17% below its record
high despite gaining ground this month and investors fear a deep
economic slump following a crash in business activity.
On Friday, however, data showed orders for non-defense
capital goods excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for
business spending plans, edged up 0.1% last month, compared with
economists' expectations of a 6% plunge. "Maybe it does tell us that the potential for recovery is
slightly better than what was anticipated," Seema Shah, chief
strategist at Principal Global Investors in London said.
The CBOE volatility index .VIX , known as Wall Street's
fear gauge, was down for the third straight session.
Oil-related companies Exxon Mobil XOM.N , Chevron Corp
CVX.N , Apache Corp APA.N and Devon Energy Corp DVN.N rose
between 1.6% and 6.5% in premarket trading as oil prices
recovered after a historic collapse earlier in the week. O/R
At 09:06 a.m. EDT, Dow e-minis 1YMcv1 were up 195 points,
or 0.84%, S&P 500 e-minis EScv1 were up 25.75 points, or 0.93%
and Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQcv1 were up 57.5 points, or 0.67%.
Overall, analysts expect a 14.1% decline in S&P 500
first-quarter earnings, with profits for the energy sector
estimated to slump nearly 60%, raising fears of debt defaults,
layoffs and possible bankruptcies. Intel Corp INTC.O fell 4.6% after the chipmaker forecast
second-quarter earnings below expectations and said it could not
issue a forecast for the full year. Verizon Communications Inc VZ.N inched lower as it lost
68,000 phone subscribers who pay a monthly bill in the first
quarter. American Express Co AXP.N posted a 76% drop in
first-quarter profit as the credit card issuer braced for
potential losses stemming from the coronavirus outbreak. Its
shares rose 1.9%.