Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a steady open on Thursday, as investors eyed the release of U.S. economic reports later in the day, after the Federal Reserve announced a fresh round of easing measures to bolster growth.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.03% dip, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.13% fall, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.05% loss.
On Wednesday, the Fed said it would continue to purchase USD85 billion a month of government bonds and mortgage based securities in order to shore up the economic recovery.
The central bank also said that interest rates would remain close to zero as long as inflation forecasts remain near the bank’s 2% target and until the U.S. unemployment rate declines to 6.5% or less.
Meanwhile, euro zone finance ministers agreed a deal on rules for supervising euro zone banks ahead of a European Union summit later in the day.
Tech and software stocks were expected to be active, as Google's navigation tool returned to the iPhone, months after Apple's own mapping service failed and led to user complaints, as well as the firing of an executive and a public apology from the tech giant's CEO.
Shares in Apple were down 0.28% in pre-market trade, while Google slipped 0.15%.
Airline companies were also likely to be in focus, amid reports American Airlines creditors want a potential merger with US Airways Group to be an all-stock deal.
Elsewhere in company news, the U.S. unit of U.K.-based BAE Systems said it won a contract valued at up to USD400 million to maintain and service more than 300 U.S. Navy trainer aircraft.
In the same sector, the Pentagon will reportedly pay about 4% less for each new Lockheed Martin F-35A fighter jet when it signs a deal worth USD3.8 billion with the defense contractor on Friday, according Reuters.
Other stocks in focus included Adobe Systems, due to report earnings later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were lower. The EURO STOXX 50 dipped 0.07%, France’s CAC 40 eased 0.06%, Germany's DAX dropped 0.35%, while Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.25%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index edged down 0.26%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index rallied 1.68%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to produce official data on retail sales and producer price inflation, as well as the weekly government report on initial jobless claims.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.03% dip, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.13% fall, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.05% loss.
On Wednesday, the Fed said it would continue to purchase USD85 billion a month of government bonds and mortgage based securities in order to shore up the economic recovery.
The central bank also said that interest rates would remain close to zero as long as inflation forecasts remain near the bank’s 2% target and until the U.S. unemployment rate declines to 6.5% or less.
Meanwhile, euro zone finance ministers agreed a deal on rules for supervising euro zone banks ahead of a European Union summit later in the day.
Tech and software stocks were expected to be active, as Google's navigation tool returned to the iPhone, months after Apple's own mapping service failed and led to user complaints, as well as the firing of an executive and a public apology from the tech giant's CEO.
Shares in Apple were down 0.28% in pre-market trade, while Google slipped 0.15%.
Airline companies were also likely to be in focus, amid reports American Airlines creditors want a potential merger with US Airways Group to be an all-stock deal.
Elsewhere in company news, the U.S. unit of U.K.-based BAE Systems said it won a contract valued at up to USD400 million to maintain and service more than 300 U.S. Navy trainer aircraft.
In the same sector, the Pentagon will reportedly pay about 4% less for each new Lockheed Martin F-35A fighter jet when it signs a deal worth USD3.8 billion with the defense contractor on Friday, according Reuters.
Other stocks in focus included Adobe Systems, due to report earnings later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were lower. The EURO STOXX 50 dipped 0.07%, France’s CAC 40 eased 0.06%, Germany's DAX dropped 0.35%, while Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.25%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index edged down 0.26%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index rallied 1.68%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to produce official data on retail sales and producer price inflation, as well as the weekly government report on initial jobless claims.