Dow futures fall 100 points; oil, data eyed

US  stock index futures indicated a lower open on Thursday morning as a decline in commodity prices weighed.

Dow futures fell more than 100 points, while U.S. crude oil futures traded more than 3 percent lower near $38.50 a barrel.

The U.S. dollar index held mildly higher, with the euro near $1.116. Treasury yields held little changed, with the 2-year yield at 0.86 percent and the 10-year yield at 1.86 percent as of 9:10 a.m. ET.

In economic news, weekly jobless claims came in at 265,000. February durable goods orders declined 2.8 percent.

Ahead of the open, St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said the Fed's next interest rate hike "may not be far off" provided the economy evolves as expected.

Bullard is a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee and in an interview Wednesday was the latest Fed official to suggest the U.S. central bank could raise rates as early as April.

To traders, the comments from Bullard and several other Fed officials contrast with the dovish message sent after the Fed's last meeting. Last week, the Fed took no action on rates and slightly downgraded its view on the economy.

In Europe, the pan European Stoxx 600 Index was down 1.22 percent, as the search for those suspected of carrying out a series of bombings in Brussels continues.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei closed down 0.64 percent, while the Shanghai Composite in China closed 1.62 percent lower.

In oil markets, Brent crude traded at $39.73 a barrel, down 1.8 percent, while U.S. crude was at $38.95, down 2.1 percent.