Stock futures were slightly higher in overnight trading Wednesday ahead of the last trading day of the month and quarter.
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average was near flat. S&P 500 futures ticked up 0.1% and Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.3%.
Stocks are coming off a down session Wednesday in which the Dow and S&P 500 each snapped four-day win streaks. The Dow shed 65.38 points, or 0.2%. The S&P 500 fell 0.6% and the Nasdaq lost 1.2%.
Rising oil prices loomed over equities, with U.S. crude prices climbing more than 3% on Wednesday. Germany warned of potential rationing of natural gas due to disputes with Russia, and U.S. crude stockpiles fell.
“We’re going to be bouncing around between good news and bad news, unfortunately,” said George Mateyo, Key Private Bank chief investment officer. “That’s going to create some volatility.”
Higher oil prices boosted energy stocks, comprising the top-performing S&P 500 sector on Wednesday.
Investors are awaiting weekly jobless claims and personal income and spending data to be released Thursday morning.
Walgreens Boots Alliance also reports quarterly results before the bell Thursday.
Thursday marks the last trading day of March and of the first quarter. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq are on pace to finish the month up about 5% each, while the Dow is nearly 4% higher in March.
For the year, the Dow and S&P 500 are both down about 3% and the Nasdaq is off more than 7%.
