U.S. stock futures pointed to a modestly higher open on Thursday, as investors looked ahead to key U.S. economic data while awaiting a flurry of corporate earnings results. The Dow Jones futures were up 0.3%, S&P 500 futures advanced 0.35% and the Nasdaq 100 futures tacked on 0.4%. On the data front, the U.S. is to release a weekly report on initial jobless claims at 8:30AM ET, followed by data on existing home sales for September at 10:00AM. Meanwhile, third quarter earnings season continues to gather pace. Caterpillar, McDonald's and 3M are due to report ahead of the opening bell. And after the market closes, Google parent Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon are on the earnings docket. Among active pre-market stocks, eBay shares rallied 8.9% after the online marketplace late Wednesday reported earnings ahead of expectations.