Wall Street was set to open flat on Thursday after data showed weekly U.S. jobless claims held steady at levels consistent with sustained labor market strength that could encourage the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates next month.
U.S. jobless claims benefits were unchanged at 276,000 last week, compared with the 270,000 expected, data showed.
The encouraging data comes ahead of scheduled speeches by several Fed policymakers, including Chair Janet Yellen at 9:30 a.m. ET (1330 GMT), New York Fed President William Dudley and Fed Vice Chair Stanley Fischer.
