By Victor Reklaitis, MarketWatch

Brent crude oil tops $50 a barrel for first time in 6 months

U.S. stock futures on Thursday pointed to a slight rise at the open, putting the Dow industrials on track to build a little on its rise of 359 points in two sessions.

Investors are waiting for fresh readings on jobless claims and durable goods, and Dollar General Corp.(DG) shares rose premarket while Signet Jewelers Ltd.(SIG) dropped after each retailer posted earnings.

S&P 500 futures rose by 3.95 points, or 0.2%, to 2,091.25, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures added 42 points, or 0.2%, to 17,859. Nasdaq-100 futures tacked on 9.25 points, or 0.2%, to 4,484.

"There has been slight tempering of the risk appetite that has driven some strong moves on equities in recent days," said Richard Perry, a Hantec Markets analyst, in a note Thursday.

Brent crude rose above $50 a barrel on Thursday (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/brent-crude-tops-50-a-barrel-for-first-time-since-november-2016-05-25) for the first time in six months, and West Texas Intermediate crude also has traded above the $50 mark.

On Wednesday, the Dow closed higher by 145.46 points, or 0.8% (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dow-futures-show-blue-chips-poised-to-build-on-huge-rally-2016-05-25), after gaining 213.12 points on Tuesday. The S&P on Wednesday finished up by 0.7%, notching its highest close since April 27.

The Dow average turned 120 years old on Thursday. Read how to use that market to your advantage (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-to-use-the-dow-industrials-to-your-best-advantage-2016-05-26).

Individual movers: Dollar General reported adjusted quarterly profit that missed forecasts, but revenue topped expectations (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dollar-general-profit-beats-but-sales-fall-short-in-first-quarter-2016-05-26). Shares rose 3% premarket.

Signet posted adjusted quarterly profit that beat, but revenue missed. Shares fell 2% premarket.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co.(ANF) dived 13% premarket as the retailer's same-store sales fell 4% and its quarterly loss was bigger than expected (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/abercrombies-sales-slip-as-shopper-traffic-stalls-2016-05-26).

Costco Wholesale Corp.(COST) revealed late Wednesday that its sales stagnated in its third quarter (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/costco-sales-stall-in-third-quarter-2016-05-25), but shares were up 1.2% premarket.

Other markets:European stocks (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-shares-waver-as-spanish-banks-slide-oil-stocks-rise-2016-05-26) have been trading slightly higher, and most Asian markets closed with modest gains (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oils-rise-buoys-asian-energy-shares-2016-05-26). Gold futures advanced, and a key dollar index inched lower.

Economic news: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday reportedly warned (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/are-commodities-signaling-a-lehman-sized-meltdown-japans-abe-thinks-so-2016-05-26) that the commodities selloff in the last two years could indicate another global financial crisis is coming.

A report on weekly jobless claims is slated to hit at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, with economists polled by MarketWatch forecasting 275,000 claims. At that same time, an April reading on durable goods orders is due, with 0.9% growth expected.

At 10 a.m. Eastern, an April report on pending home sales is expected, with 0.8% growth forecast.

On the Federal Reserve front, Fed Gov. Jerome Powell is slated to speak on the economy and monetary policy in Washington, D.C., at 12:15 p.m. Eastern. Speaking in Singapore, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard noted the U.S. job market is relatively tight and could put upward pressure on inflation, according to a Reuters report (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fed-bullard-idUSKCN0YH10B).

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 26, 2016 08:16 ET (12:16 GMT)