Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a steady open on Thursday, as investors awaited the release of U.S. economic reports later in the day, while upbeat data published earlier in the week continued to support
Ahead of the open, the Dow 30 futures pointed to a 0.07% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.03% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.03% uptick.
U.S. equities found support on Tuesday after data showed that U.S. durable goods orders rose unexpectedly in April and another report showed that U.S. consumer confidence improved in line with forecasts this month.
The tech sector was expected to be active, after Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) agreed to buy Beats Electronics LLC for $3 billion, its biggest-ever acquisition, in a move to boost growth. Shares in the iPhone maker climbed 0.42% in pre-market trade.
Separately, Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) was up 0.11% in early trading as General Motors (NYSE:GM) said the company could become a "serious competitive threat" to the auto industry if it continues to push its self-driving cars. GM is currently developing its own autonomous vehicle technology.
In the insurance sector, American International Group (NYSE:AIG) was set to move after announcing its intention to shift workers to locations including the Philippines and Texas to reduce costs.
Elsewhere, Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) edged up 0.16% after hours as the warehouse-club chain posted fiscal third-quarter profit below analysts’ estimates but said comparable sales climbed 6%.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were mixed to lower. The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 dipped 0.03%, France’s CAC 40 fell 0.18%, Germany's DAX edged 0.08% lower, while Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.23%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng slid 0.30%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 edged up 0.07%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release revised data on first quarter GDP, as well as the weekly government report on initial jobless claims and data on pending home sales.