Expect positive start of the US session

U.S. stock index futures indicated a higher open Thursday, helped by a continued bounce in oil prices.

Dow futures gained more than 150 points as U.S. crude oil futures topped $34 a barrel. Brent held above $35 a barrel as of 9:19 a.m. ET. The gains were supported by the possibility that major producers may cooperate to cut production.

Earlier, futures came well off session highs, with Dow futures briefly turning negative after December durable goods orders declined far more than expected.
Durable goods fell 5.1 percent in December, far more than expectations for a less-than 1 percent decline. Ex-transportation, the figure declined 1.2 percent.

"That's another indication the economy is continuing to slow and an indication the Fed is going to hold off in the first half of this year," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at First Standard Financial.

Weekly jobless claims came in at 278,000.
Treasury yields edged lower after the data, with the 10-year dipping below 2 percent, before turning higher as oil climbed.

Amazon.com, Amgen, Microsoft, Visa and Electronic Arts are among companies due to report after the bell.
Shares of Facebook jumped more than 13 percent in pre-market trade. The social network reported earnings after the close Wednesday that blew past estimates, with the firm beating the $1 billion mark in quarterly net income for the first time ever.

Wednesday saw stocks slump after the Fed's 2 p.m. post-meeting statement noted concerns about a weaker economy and global conditions.

The central bank did not, however, specifically state it would defer rate hikes, unsettling some investors. The Fed has forecast four rate increases this year while the market expects but one.

Pending home sales are due out at 10:00 a.m.

In oil markets, Brent crude traded at around $33.70 a barrel on Thursday morning, up by 1.8 percent, while U.S. crude was at around $32.77 a barrel, up by 1.49 percent.

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Abbott Labs, Alibaba, Caterpillar, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Ford, Blackstone, Harley-Davidson, Hershey, Northrop Grumman and Under Armour were among companies expected to report before the bell.

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