Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a stronger open on Thursday, as the dollar sank to a three-month low on speculation the Federal Reserve might opt to not raise interest rates at all this year and amid an ongoing recovery in oil prices.
The blue-chip Dow futures rose 59 points, or 0.36%, by 11:30GMT, or 6:30AM ET, the S&P 500 futures tacked on 6 points, or 0.3%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 futures advanced 15 points, or 0.35%.
Wall Street staged a late-day rally to end mostly higher on Wednesday as an 8% jump in oil drove up beaten-down energy shares and financials rebounded.
Oil prices extended hefty gains on Thursday, due to a broadly weaker U.S. dollar and amid ongoing rumors about a potential deal between Russia and OPEC to cut a global supply glut.
Meanwhile, the dollar index tumbled to a three-month low amid growing skepticism over the Federal Reserve's ability to raise interest rates as much as it would like this year.
On the data front, the U.S. is to release the weekly report on initial jobless claims at 8:30AM ET, as well as data on nonfarm productivity followed by factory orders data at 15:00GMT, or 10:00AM ET.
In earnings news, Ralph Lauren (N:RL), ConocoPhillips (N:COP), Boston Scientific (N:BSX), Madison Square Garden (N:SQ) and Philip Morris International (N:PM) are due to report quarterly results ahead of the opening bell.
After the market closes, LinkedIn (N:LNKD) and News Corp (O:NWSA). are on the earnings docket.
Amongst active pre-market movers, GoPro (O:GPRO) tumbled 11.3% after the action-camera company late Wednesday posted a loss in the fourth quarter and provided a forecast that fell short of market expectations.
U.S.-listed shares of Credit Suisse (VX:CSGN) Group AG (N:CS) plunged 12% after the Swiss bank reported a massive fourth-quarter loss, while saying it plans to ramp up a cost savings program and will cut about 4,000 jobs, including contractors and consultants.
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca PLC (N:AZN) dropped 4.5% after warning that revenue and earnings would drop this year due to the arrival of cheap generic rivals to its cholesterol fighter Crestor, which will offset growth in sales of newer medicines.
On the upside, Royal Dutch Shell B (N:RDSb) rose 4.8% despite announcing a near 60% slump in fourth-quarter profit, as plunging oil prices buffeted the company's earnings.
Elsewhere, Asian and European stock markets rose on Thursday as speculation the Federal Reserve might opt to not raise interest rates at all this year hammered the dollar and sparked a huge rally in oil prices.