FX.co ★ Wall Street Might Open In Red

Investors may find Thursday's economic updates, including the weekly jobless claims, service sector activity, factory orders, and Federal Reserve discussions, particularly noteworthy. Meanwhile, oil prices have experienced a three-day surge due to the ongoing Middle East crisis.

Indicators from the U.S. Futures Index hint at a lower opening for Wall Street.

As of 8:20 a.m. ET, the Dow futures had decreased by 98 points, the S&P 500 futures by 8 points, and the Nasdaq 100 futures by 44 points.

On Wednesday, the major U.S. averages ended the session in positive territory. The Dow increased by 39.55 points, or 0.1%, closing at 42,196.52. The Nasdaq gained 14.76 points, or 0.1%, finishing at 17,925.12, while the S&P 500 edged up by 0.79 points, less than 0.1%, to settle at 5,709.54.

Regarding today's economic schedule, the Jobless Claims report for the week is anticipated for release at 8:30 a.m. ET. Analysts expect the figure to be around 225,000, up from the previous week's 218,000.

The PMI Composite Final for September is expected at 9:45 a.m. ET, with last month's reading recorded at 54.6.

The Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Natural Gas Report will be published at 10:30 a.m. ET. Last week, natural gas stockpiles increased by 37 billion cubic feet.

In Asian markets on Thursday, performance varied, with mainland Chinese markets closed for a public holiday.

Japanese stocks outperformed their regional counterparts, with the Nikkei 225 Index climbing 2.0% to reach 38,552.06 and the broader Topix Index advancing by 1.2% to 2,683.71.