U.S. stock index futures indicated a lower open on Thursday, with traders looking to the release of the Federal Open Market Committee's minutes for its September meeting, due at 2 p.m. ET.
Although the minutes won't reflect the central bank's view on last Friday's weaker-than-expected nonfarm payrolls report, analysts said they will be watching to see how much the Fed was concerned about conditions overseas, particularly in China.
Many market analysts expected the Federal Reserve to raise short-term interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade at its September meeting. The central bank's decision to hold off on a hike caused great uncertainty in markets about the Fed's view on domestic and global economic conditions.
On the data front, weekly jobless claims declined to 263,000, a near 42-year low.
On the earnings front, Domino's Pizza reported results that missed on both the top and bottom line. Alcoa, Helen of Troy and Ruby Tuesday are all due after the bell.
Read More Early movers: COST, DPZ, CC, SHAK, EMC, BMR, MCD, LL, DB & more
In oil markets, Brent crude traded at around $51.64 a barrel, up 0.6 percent, while U.S. crude was at around $48.17 a barrel, up 0.75 percent.
In Europe, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index was flat on Thursday. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei finished 0.99 percent lower. Mainland Chinese markets reopened after a week-long holiday, with the Shanghai Composite closing 3.0 percent higher.
—CNBC's Evelyn Cheng contributed to this report.
Correction: An earlier version misstated the length of time since the previous record on weekly jobless claims. It was 42 years.