Market Snapshot: Dow futures climb 160 points ahead of another dismal jobless claims, and a parade of Fed speakers, earnings

U.S. stock-index futures trade slightly higher early Thursday, as investors ready for another dismal report another sobering weekly jobless claims and a host of speakers on the Federal Reserve that might offer more insights about the state of a rapidly deteriorating economy due to national procedures in place to avert a deeper crisis from the COVID-19 pandemic.