Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a steady open on Thursday, after the rally caused on Wednesday by the Federal Reserve's decision to slowly begin tapering its stimulus program next month.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.02% dip, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.06% slip, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.15% loss.
The S&P 500 and Dow Jones closed at record highs after the Fed announced Wednesday that it would reduce its USD85 billion-a-month bond buying program by USD10 billion in January. In his last press conference as Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said the economy was continuing to make progress.
The U.S. central bank reiterated that interest rates are likely to remain low even after the unemployment rate drops below 6.5%, the threshold at which the Fed has previously said it would start to consider rate increases.
The auto sector was likely to be in focus, after Ford Motor predicted stalled revenue growth and sliding profit in 2014, sending shares down 0.13% in pre-market trade.
McDonald's was also expected to be active, as the fast food giant's Japan business said it plans to close 74 outlets in the country after the company cut its full-year profit forecast by more than half in its second-largest market.
Shares in McDonald's slipped 0.18% in extended trading.
Elsewhere, the Financial Times reported that Citigroup chose AIA Group as its partner in a multi-billion-dollar distribution deal that will allow the Asian life insurer's products to be sold through the U.S. lender's network across the region.
Other stocks likely to be in focus included Nike, Red Hat, Darden, Accenture, Rite-Aid, Worthington Industries and Tibco Software, all scheduled to release quarterly earnings later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were sharply higher. The EURO STOXX 50 rallied 1.66%, France’s CAC 40 jumped 1.36%, Germany's DAX surged 1.41%, while Britain's FTSE 100 advanced 0.97%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index tumbled 1.10%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index jumped 1.74%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish data on existing home sales, manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia region and initial jobless claims.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.02% dip, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.06% slip, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.15% loss.
The S&P 500 and Dow Jones closed at record highs after the Fed announced Wednesday that it would reduce its USD85 billion-a-month bond buying program by USD10 billion in January. In his last press conference as Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said the economy was continuing to make progress.
The U.S. central bank reiterated that interest rates are likely to remain low even after the unemployment rate drops below 6.5%, the threshold at which the Fed has previously said it would start to consider rate increases.
The auto sector was likely to be in focus, after Ford Motor predicted stalled revenue growth and sliding profit in 2014, sending shares down 0.13% in pre-market trade.
McDonald's was also expected to be active, as the fast food giant's Japan business said it plans to close 74 outlets in the country after the company cut its full-year profit forecast by more than half in its second-largest market.
Shares in McDonald's slipped 0.18% in extended trading.
Elsewhere, the Financial Times reported that Citigroup chose AIA Group as its partner in a multi-billion-dollar distribution deal that will allow the Asian life insurer's products to be sold through the U.S. lender's network across the region.
Other stocks likely to be in focus included Nike, Red Hat, Darden, Accenture, Rite-Aid, Worthington Industries and Tibco Software, all scheduled to release quarterly earnings later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were sharply higher. The EURO STOXX 50 rallied 1.66%, France’s CAC 40 jumped 1.36%, Germany's DAX surged 1.41%, while Britain's FTSE 100 advanced 0.97%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index tumbled 1.10%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index jumped 1.74%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish data on existing home sales, manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia region and initial jobless claims.