US Stock Futures Flat Ahead Of Jobless Claims

Pre-open movers US stock futures traded mostly flat in early pre-market trade. Data on weekly jobless claims will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 6 points to 17,655.0, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index futures rose 1.25 points to 2,070.25. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index surged 1.88 points to 4,633.62. A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were lower today, with the Spanish Ibex Index dropping 1 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index declining 0.56 percent and German DAX 30 index declining 0.37 percent. French CAC 40 Index dipped 1.04 percent and London's FTSE 100 Index fell 0.55 percent. In Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei Stock jumped 0.03 percent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index jumped 2.40 percent, China's Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.48 percent. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Credit Suisse downgraded Freshpet Inc (NASDAQ: FRPT) from Outperform to Neutral. The price target for Freshpet has been lowered from $19 to $9. Freshpet shares closed at $8.37 on Wednesday. Breaking news

• Shares of Kohl's Corporation (NYSE: KSS) jumped around 11 percent in pre-market trading after the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings for the third quarter. To read the full news, click here.
• Discovery Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ: DSCO) today reported top line data from its recently completed AEROSURF® phase 2a clinical program in premature infants 29 to 34 week gestational age (GA) receiving nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). To read the full news, click here.
• Shares of Freshpet Inc (NASDAQ: FRPT) dipped around 25 percent in pre-market trading after the company reported a wider-than-expected loss for the third quarter and lowered its FY15 forecast. To read the full news, click here.
• Viacom, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB) reported downbeat revenue for its fiscal fourth quarter on Thursday. To read the full news, click here.