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NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks are poised for a quiet session Thursday, as investors await more economic data on the housing market and labor sector.
U.S. stock futures edged slightly higher.
Weekly figures on initial jobless claims are due before the bell Thursday, and investors will be looking for further momentum in the housing market with reports on housing starts and building permits.
After lagging behind other indicators earlier this year, the housing market is now showing signs of life. Home prices and new construction have started to pick up in recent months as foreclosures have slowed. Stocks could get a boost if Thursday's data show continued momentum.
Meanwhile, firms including Sears Holdings (SHLD, Fortune 500) and Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) will release quarterly results.
Analysts expect there to be no big change again Thursday, with little news on tap to drive markets. Investors have taken a step back following a week-long rally that pushed all three indexes to the highest levels since early May. But trading volume remains low, and many investors aren't placing significant bets in the midst of the market's usual summer doldrums.
U.S. stocks ended little changed Wednesday, as investors weighed a mixed batch of economic data with hopes that the Fed and other central banks might take further stimulus action.
World Markets: European stocks slid in morning trading. Britain's FTSE 100 shaved off 0.1%, the DAX in Germany edged lower 0.1% and France's CAC 40 lost 0.2%.
Asian markets closed mixed on Thursday. The Shanghai Composite shed 0.3% and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong fell 0.5%, while Japan's Nikkei gained 1.9%.
Economy: At 8:30 a.m. ET, the Labor Department will release data on initial jobless claims for the week ended August 11. Claims are expected to total 368,000, according to a survey of analysts by Briefing.com, up from 361,000 in the week prior.
Also due before the bell, the Census Bureau will release July figures for housing starts and building permits. Housing starts are expected to come in at an annual rate of 763,000, with building permits projected at an annual rate of 770,000.
At 10 a.m. ET, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve will release the August edition of its regional manufacturing index, which is expected to come in at minus 5.0, up from minus 12.9 in July.
270 million Facebook shares about to be set free
Companies: Sears is expected to report a loss of 86 cents a share on $9.6 billion in revenue, according to a survey of analysts by Thomson Reuters. Wal-Mart is tipped to post earnings of $1.17 a share on $115.8 billion in revenue.
Cisco Systems (CSCO, Fortune 500) reported a quarterly profit and sales Wednesday that rose from year-ago results and beat Wall Street's forecasts. Shares rose more than 5% in premarket trading.
The "lock-up period" for Facebook (FB) shares ends Thursday, meaning that company insiders will be free to sell off about 271 million shares if they so choose. Thursday marks the first in a series of lock-up expirations for the company.
Currencies and commodities: The dollar rose against the euro, the British pound and the Japanese yen.
Oil for September delivery fell 13 cents to $94.23 a barrel.
Gold futures for December delivery rose 5 cents to $1,602.70 an ounce.
Bonds: The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury held steady, with the yield at 1.81% from late Wednesday.
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