08:07 AM EST, 12/26/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures were cautiously lower pre-bell Thursday as traders returned from the Christmas holiday ahead of jobless claims data.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures, S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures were all down 0.3%.

Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 0.5% at $73.55 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude up 0.6% at $70.55 per barrel.

New unemployment claims, scheduled for release at 8:30 am ET, are expected to rise to 223,000 in the week ended Dec. 21 from 220,000 in the preceding week, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg.