U.S. stock futures edged higher as a measure of layoffs fell and investors awaited the resumption of federal budget talks.
Less than an hour ahead of the open, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advanced 13 points, or 0.1%, to 13061. The Dow lost 24 points, or 0.2%, on Wednesday to fall for a third-straight session.
Standard & Poor's 500-stock index futures gained two points, or 0.1%, to 1415 and Nasdaq 100 futures rose six points, or 0.2%, to 2634. Changes in stock futures don't always accurately predict stock moves after the opening bell.
The number of U.S. workers filing applications for jobless benefits fell to 350,000 last week, the Labor Department reported. Economists were expecting an increase to 365,000, according to a Dow Jones Newswires poll.
At 10 a.m. EST, new home sales for November are expected to increase 1.9% on the month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 375,000. Also, the Conference Board's consumer confidence index for December is seen falling to 70.0 from 73.7 in November.
Congress will be returning to the bargaining table later Thursday, with investors expressing some optimism that a budget deal, in some form, could be worked out by year end.
Adding to the fiscal drama, the Treasury Department said late Wednesday that the legal borrowing limit would be reached by Monday, but that it could enact some emergency measures to keep the government operating for several more weeks if needed.
European markets gained some ground. The Stoxx Europe 600 is gaining 0.3% as markets reopened from a two-day Christmas break; better-than-expected Italian manufacturing confidence data and further gains in Asia provided a positive backdrop. Italy's FTSE Mib index rallied 0.8%.
Asian markets were mostly higher as hopes for more aggressive stimulus measures in Japan continued to provide a spark. Japan's Nikkei Stock Average climbed 0.9% to the highest level since March 10, 2011, the day before the country was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami. Australia's S&P ASX 200 gained 0.3% to another 1½-year high, while China's Shanghai Composite bucked the trend by slipping 0.6%.
The dollar rallied to its highest level against the yen in more than two years, but lost ground against the euro.
Front-month February crude-oil futures rose 0.3% to $91.26 a barrel, while January gold futures gave up 0.3% to $1,655.10 an ounce.
Among early stock movers, shares of Marvell Technology fell 3.9% in premarket trading, putting it on track to open at the lowest level since February 2009. The stock tumbled 10% in the previous session after a jury ruled the semiconductor maker should pay $1.17 billion for infringing on patents held by Carnegie Mellon University.
BCD Semiconductor Manufacturing surged 95% after the company agreed to be acquired by Diodes for $151 million. Diodes advanced 2.7%.
Elsewhere, Dow component Bank of America tacked on 0.8%, after surging 2.6% to close Wednesday at the highest level since May 2011.
