Investors may find Thursday's economic updates, including the weekly jobless claims, service sector activity, factory orders, and Federal Reserve discussions, particularly noteworthy. Meanwhile, oil prices have experienced a three-day surge due to the ongoing Middle East crisis.
Indicators from the U.S. Futures Index hint at a lower opening for Wall Street.
As of 8:20 a.m. ET, the Dow futures had decreased by 98 points, the S&P 500 futures by 8 points, and the Nasdaq 100 futures by 44 points.
On Wednesday, the major U.S. averages ended the session in positive territory. The Dow increased by 39.55 points, or 0.1%, closing at 42,196.52. The Nasdaq gained 14.76 points, or 0.1%, finishing at 17,925.12, while the S&P 500 edged up by 0.79 points, less than 0.1%, to settle at 5,709.54.
Regarding today's economic schedule, the Jobless Claims report for the week is anticipated for release at 8:30 a.m. ET. Analysts expect the figure to be around 225,000, up from the previous week's 218,000.
The PMI Composite Final for September is expected at 9:45 a.m. ET, with last month's reading recorded at 54.6.
The Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Natural Gas Report will be published at 10:30 a.m. ET. Last week, natural gas stockpiles increased by 37 billion cubic feet.
In Asian markets on Thursday, performance varied, with mainland Chinese markets closed for a public holiday.
Japanese stocks outperformed their regional counterparts, with the Nikkei 225 Index climbing 2.0% to reach 38,552.06 and the broader Topix Index advancing by 1.2% to 2,683.71.
