08:50 AM EST, 11/21/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures were cautiously higher ahead of Thursday's opening bell as traders digested earnings and guidance from artificial intelligence chipmaker Nvidia ( NVDA ) .

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 0.4%, S&P 500 futures gained 0.4%, and Nasdaq futures were up 0.3%.

Nvidia ( NVDA ) reported late Wednesday fiscal Q3 results that topped analysts' estimates, but its fiscal Q4 revenue guidance underwhelmed investors at $37.5 billion, plus or minus 2%, which straddled the $37.09 billion estimate from analysts surveyed by FactSet.

Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 1.8% at $74.12 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 2% higher at $70.14 per barrel.

New unemployment claims, released at 8:30 am ET, fell to 213,000 in the week ended Nov. 16 from 219,000 in the preceding week, compared with estimates compiled by Bloomberg for a rise to 220,000. The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index came in at minus 5.5 in November versus October's plus 10.3 and estimates for plus 8.0.

Existing Home Sales, due at 10 am ET, are seen coming in little changed at a 3.94 million unit annual rate in October after September's 3.84 million level.

In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 0.9% lower, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 0.5% lower, and China's Shanghai Composite finished 0.07% higher. Meanwhile, UK's FTSE 100 rose 0.4%, and Germany's DAX index gained 0.3% in Europe's early afternoon session.

In equities, shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals ( JAZZ ) were 4% higher pre-bell after the company secured US Food and Drug Administration accelerated approval for its biliary tract cancer treatment.

On the losing side, Agrify ( AGFY ) shares retreated 25% after the company entered into a $25.9 million non-brokered private placement of common shares.