08:53 AM EST, 01/02/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures rose ahead of Thursday's opening bell to begin 2025 in an upbeat mood as traders digested jobless claims data.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 0.7%, S&P 500 futures increased 0.8%, and Nasdaq futures were up 1%.

Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 1.3% at $75.61 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude up 1.4% at $72.67 per barrel.

New unemployment claims, released at 8:30 am ET, dropped to 211,000 in the week ended Dec. 28 from 220,000 in the preceding week, compared with estimates compiled by Bloomberg for an increase to 221,000.

The December Purchasing Managers' Manufacturing Index, due at 9:45 am ET, is seen coming in unchanged from 48.3 in the flash report.

Forecasters see construction spending, slated for 10 am ET, rising by 0.3% in November following a 0.4% uptick previously.

In other world markets, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 2.2% lower, China's Shanghai Composite finished 2.7% lower, while the Japanese market was closed for holiday. UK's FTSE 100 rose 0.7%, and Germany's DAX index gained 0.2% in Europe's early afternoon session.

In equities, shares of Cloudflare ( NET ) were more than 6% higher pre-bell after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to buy from a sell rating and raised its price target to $140 from $77 per share.

On the losing side, Neumora Therapeutics ( NMRA ) shares slumped more than 83% after the company said Thursday that its phase 3 trial of a treatment candidate for major depressive disorder failed to meet its primary endpoint and a key secondary endpoint.