US pre-open: Futures inch higher after jobless claims sink sharply

US stock futures edged higher on Thursday after figures showed that jobless claims dropped to their lowest level since 2000last week, as investors continue to digest comments from the Federal Reserve.

Futures on the S&P 500 were up 0.1% with an hour to go before the opening bell, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% and the Nasdaq held steady.

Jobless claims dropped to just 265,000 in the week ended 24 January, the lowest since April 2000. Analysts had expected claims to fall to 296,000 from 307,000 the previous week.

The 43,000 decline was the biggest plunge since November 2012.

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday night painted an improved picture of the economy but said it would still "be patient in beginning to normalise the stance of monetary policy" and highlighted that it was watching global economic developments.

The language was widely interpreted to mean that policymakers won't begin to hike rates from near-zero for at least another two Fed meetings. Analysts at Danske Bank said the statement “raises the likelihood of a later hike than we currently anticipate (June 2015)”.

Oil prices were mixed early on Thursday, with WTI falling 0.1% at $44.42 a barrel and Brent rising 0.9% to $48.92 a barrel.

Over on COMEX, gold futures were receding 1.31% to $1,270.40 while the dollar was advancing against the yen and the pound while falling against the euro.

The yield on a benchmark US 10-year Treasury rose three basis points to 1.87%.