U.S. futures edge higher, focus on earnings reports; Dow Jones up 0.03%

Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Thursday, as investors eyed the release of a new round of earnings reports later in the day, while concerns over the U.S. debt ceiling talks continued to linger.

Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.03% gain, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.13% rise, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.21% increase.

Uncertainty over the U.S. debt ceiling deadlock continued to weigh after President Barack Obama urged Republicans earlier in the week to approve an increase in the borrowing limit without seeking policy concessions in return.

Market sentiment was also hit after the World Bank cut on Tuesday its forecast for global growth to 2.4% this year from 3% in June and warned that developing nations would struggle in 2013.

Financial stocks were set to be in the spotlight for the second consecutive session, as Bank of America and Citigroup were due to post fourth-quarter results later in the day. Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan both posted results that beat expectations on Wednesday.

In pre-market trade, Bank of America surged 2.04%, while Citigroup climbed 0.74%.

Separately, Goldman Sachs executives were reportedly considering deep cuts to staffing levels and pay for at least two years, but feared too many layoffs would leave the firm unprepared for an eventual pickup in business.

Boeing was also expected to be in focus, as airlines rushed to rearrange flights after Europe, Japan and India joined the United States in grounding Boeing's 787 Dreamliner passenger jets due to the investigation of battery-related problems.

The news sents shares in Boeing down 2.93% in early trading.

Elsewhere, the Wall Street Journal reported that AT&T is considering buying a telecom company in Europe to offset growth constraints in its home market.

Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were lower. The EURO STOXX 50 was flat, France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.44%, Germany's DAX fell 0.28%, while Britain's FTSE 100 inched 0.07% lower.

During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index eased 0.07%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index added 0.09%.

Later in the day, the U.S. was to produce official data on building permits and housing starts, in addition to the weekly government report on initial jobless claims and data on manufacturing activity in Philadelphia.