US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting weekly jobless claims data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 63 points to 14,547.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 7.70 points to 1,555.80. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 14 points to 2,801.00. US stocks closed lower on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 0.76% to 14,550.35, the S&P 500 index declining 1.05% to 1,553.69 and the Nasdaq 100 index falling 1.11% to 3,218.60. The Bank of England will deliver a decision on its monetary policy meeting at 7 a.m. ET, while the ECB is expected to deliver its decision at 7:45 a.m. ET. Data on weekly jobless claims will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET, while the EIA report on natural gas stocks will be released at 10:30 a.m. ET. Mitcham Industries MIND reported weak fiscal fourth-quarter results. CapLease LSE commenced a public offering of 6,500,000 shares of its common stock. The Greenbrier Companies GBX is expected to report its Q2 earnings at $0.37 per share on revenue of $442.91 million. International Speedway ISCA is projected to report its Q1 earnings at $0.36 per share on revenue of $126.50 million. RPM International RPM is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $0.06 per share on revenue of $841.36 million. Franklin Covey Co FC is projected to post its Q2 earnings at $0.11 per share on revenue of $42.71 million. Xyratex XRTX is estimated to post a Q1 loss at $0.18 per share on revenue of $177.31 million. WD-40 Company WDFC is estimated to post its Q2 earnings at $0.56 per share on revenue of $87.37 million. European markets were mostly higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.05%, London's FTSE 100 Index dropped 0.09%, French CAC 40 Index rose 0.76% and German DAX 30 index gained 0.44%. Asian markets ended mostly lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rising 2.20%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropping 0.95% and India's Sensex tumbling 1.53%.