U.S. stock index futures signaled a lower start to Wall Street trade on Thursday, ahead of monthly durable goods data and weekly initial jobless claims.
The durable goods orders report will be out at 8:30 a.m. ET, and is seen showing a sharp fall in January, following a decline at the end of 2013.
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"The drop in orders already reported by Boeing last month all but guarantees that durable goods orders, contracted again in January," said Capital Economics' Paul Ashworth in a research note on Wednesday afternoon.
"There is a risk that the severe weather, which we already know hit manufacturing output in January, may have compounded the decline in orders too," he added.
(Read more: Boeing develops self-destruct phone)
Jobless claims numbers will also be out at 8:30 a.m. and will be followed by natural gas inventories for last week at 10:30 a.m.
In addition, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen is scheduled to speak before the Senate Banking Committee at 10 a.m., in her second congressional testimony this month.
(Read more: One thing Yellen could say that may worry markets)
In her last appearance, Yellen emphasized that the Fed would continue to taper its now-$65 billion-a-month bond-buying program unless there was a notable change in the economy. Traders expect another cut of $10 billion in March.
"Though much of her testimony will be similar to her February 11 appearance at the House Financial Services, there have been a few more data releases since that day and markets will be wondering what she has to say on the weather-effect now that the worst of the storms appear to have passed," said Deutsche Bank's Jim Reid and Anthony Ip in a note.
Earnings due before the start of Wall Street trade on Thursday include LKQ, Mylan Labs, Ocwen and Sempra Energy.
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On Wednesday, the blue-chip Dow finished 0.2 percent higher. The and the Nasdaq also squeezed out small gains, with the latter briefly hitting a 14-year high.
—By CNBC's Katy Barnato