U.S. stock index futures were expected to slightly higher on Thursday as traders digested a fresh batch of economic data.
Private payrolls surged by 253,000 in May, easily topping expectations, according to a report from ADP and Moody's Analytics. The report was expected to show 185,000 jobs added in May. Weekly jobless claims came in at 248,000, above a forecast of 239,000.
Monthly vehicle sales will be reported throughout the morning and are expected to show about a 16.8 million vehicle annualized selling pace.
Manufacturing activity will be reported in the Manufacturing PMI at 9:45 a.m. and the ISM manufacturing report at 10 a.m. April construction spending is expected at 10 a.m.
The batch of data is important since second quarter data has been spotty, even though economists still expect a 3 percent growth rate. The rush of reports on Thursday comes ahead of the most important data this week: the May employment report on Friday.
On the earnings front, Dollar General and Donaldson are among those that reported before the bell. , Lululemon Athletica, VMWare and Workday are all due to report after the market close.
In Europe, the pan-European Stoxx-600 index was around 0.4 percent higher on Thursday. In Asia, the Shanghai Composite in China closed 0.5 percent lower, while the Nikkei in Japan closed 1.07 percent higher.
In oil markets, oil prices traded mixed on Thursday, after hitting a three-week low in the previous session, as U.S. stockpiles slipped more than expected and expectations increased President Donald Trump could be set to announce the country could pull out of the global climate accord.
Brent crude traded at around $50.72 a barrel on Thursday, down 0.08 percent, while U.S. crude was around $48.44 a barrel, up 0.25 percent.
—CNBC's Patti Domm contributed to this report