US pre-open: Futures in the red ahead of weekly jobless claims numbers
Wall Street futures were in the red ahead of the bell on Thursday as market participants monitored developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and awaited a number of data points scheduled for release later in the day.
As of 1220 GMT, Dow Jones futures were down 0.32%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures had the indices opening 0.39% and 0.48% lower, respectively.
The Dow closed 54.57 points weaker on Wednesday, while the S&P 500 saw out the session higher for a second consecutive day as investors digested minutes from the Federal Reserve's most recent meeting.
Thursday's primary focus will be this week's jobless claims report from the Labor Department, with economists expecting to see initial filings for unemployment benefits total 218,000 - a slight decline from the week before.
Ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine also continued to weigh on market sentiment after NATO officials accused Moscow of misleading the world and actually raising troop numbers at the border despite claims that it had removed a number of troops from the area. Russia expressed caution regarding disturbances in eastern Ukraine and stated it would take its time to pull back troops from the border.
In the corporate space, Walmart will publish earnings before the open, while Dropbox, Roku and Shake Shack will report after the close.
DoorDash shares were higher in pre-market despite posting a loss overnight, while Cisco stock was also in the green before the open after topping estimates and raising guidance.
On the macro front, weekly jobless claims, the Philadelphia Fed's February manufacturing index and January's building permits and housing starts were all slated for release at 1330 GMT.