US equity futures were pointing lower before the opening bell Thursday as traders continue to monitor tensions in the Middle East and await key jobs data. The Standard & Poor's 500 index declined by 0.3% in premarket activity, while both the Nasdaq and the Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced a fall of 0.4%.
Conversely, the majority of Asian exchanges were showing positive trends, whereas European bourses were mostly tracking in the negative territory. On the economic calendar, traders are looking ahead to the Challenger Job-Cut Report for September, which is scheduled for release at 7:30 am ET. This report will be followed by the weekly jobless claims bulletin at 8:30 am.
Furthermore, we anticipate the September purchasing managers' index composite final report from S&P Global at 9:45 am, alongside the ISM Services gauge for the same month at 10 am. Additionally, the factory orders report for August is set to be released at 10 am, while the weekly EIA domestic natural gas supplies data is scheduled for a 10:30 am release. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic is slated to speak at 10:40 am, joining Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari, who will also be addressing the markets at the same time. In the stock market, shares of Levi Strauss have dropped 11% pre-bell as the denim maker's fiscal third-quarter revenue fell short of analysts' market estimates.
Joby Aviation has seen a decrease of 2.8% following a strong 28% jump at the close of Wednesday, after Toyota Motor announced an additional $500 million investment in the company. Constellation Brands is also set to unveil its latest financial results before the trading session opens, among other key reports. On a different note, before the market opens, bitcoin saw a gain of 1.2%, reaching a price of $60,991.
Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate crude oil advanced by 2% to $71.53 per barrel. In bond markets, yields on 10-year Treasuries increased by 2.3 basis points, now standing at 3.81%, while gold experienced a slight decline of 0.1%, priced at $2,668 per ounce..