Wall Street eyes data, Friday’s Fed chair Yellen speech

U.S. stock index futures indicated a lower open Thursday morning as traders eyed the release of data and anticipated Friday’s speech from U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.

Initial claims and durable goods orders are set to come out at 8:30 a.m. ET, with Markit Services PMI due at 9:45 a.m.

Yellen is set to speak in Jackson Hole, Wyoming at 10:00 a.m. ET on Friday, and traders will be watching as to whether she gives any indications on rate hikes.

In oil markets, Brent crude traded at around $48.99 a barrel on Thursday morning, down 0.12 percent, while U.S. crude was around $46.81 a barrel, up 0.09 percent.

In Europe, the pan European Stoxx 600 Index was down by around 1.1 percent on Thursday morning. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed 0.25 percent lower on Thursday, while in China the Shanghai Composite closed 0.57 percent lower.

On the earnings front Medtronic, Dollar General and Tiffany are among companies set to report the bell. Autodesk and Splunk are among companies set to report after the bell.

Source: CNBC