U.S. stock futures were little changed after the weekly jobless claims report and December retail sales.
The average number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits over the previous four weeks dropped to the lowest level since August 2008. The weekly jobless claims, which are more volatile, rose by 11,000 last week, slightly more than expected. Separately, the retail sales report for December unexpectedly declined 0.3%, after rising by an upwardly revised 1.8% in November. Sales in November were previously reported at 1.3%.
November business inventories will be released at 10:00 am ET, with consensus forecasts calling for a 0.3% increase, following a gain of 0.2% the prior month. The weekly report on natural gas inventories is due at 10:30 am ET. In other news, the European Central Bank left their benchmark rate unchanged and Intel posts quarterly results after the bell.
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