U.S. futures steady amid Greece worries; Dow Jones up 0.06%

Investing.com - U.S. stock futures were steady on Thursday, as investors eyed the release of key U.S. economic data later in the day amid ongoing concerns over events in Greece and the country’s possible exit from the euro zone.

Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a rise of 0.06%, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.09% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated 0.01% loss.

Fears over the implications of a Greek exit from the euro zone continued as the country prepared for fresh elections next month, which could see anti-austerity parties take power.

On Wednesday, the European Central Bank said it had placed some Greek banks in an emergency liquidity assistance program, as they are severely undercapitalized.

In the U.S., Federal Reserve minutes showed Wednesday that several policymakers remain open to further efforts to stimulate the U.S. economy if growth falters or if the risks to the economy became great enough.

Retailers were expected to be active after Limited Brands, the parent of the Victoria's Secret lingerie store chain, posted a quarterly profit that topped estimates. Shares plummeted 3.61% in pre-market trade, however, after its forecast for the current quarter fell short of expectations.

Internet company AOL, which has been engaged in a long-standing proxy fight with Starboard Value, was also likely to be in focus after it urged shareholders to vote against the activist hedge fund's slate of board nominees.

In the tech sector, Apple shares fell 0.32% in pre-market trade, as analysts expected the company to struggle to cut its reliance on rival Samsung Electronics for component supplies, despite speculation that it has begun reducing its use of Samsung memory chips.

Also in corporate news, Activision Blizzard and arch rival video game company Electronic Arts settled a lawsuit in which Activision accused two former executives of breaking their employment agreements to develop games for EA.

Elsewhere, Royal Bank of Canada and Credit Suisse were said to be among suitors who put in initial bids to buy the non-U.S. wealth management business of Bank of America in a deal that could be worth about USD2 billion.

Other stocks in focus included Johnson & Johnson's, as the company’s advanced prostate cancer drug, Zytiga, added to hormone therapy before surgery was shown for the first time to eradicate tumors in some men with high-risk forms of the disease.

In addition, an experimental lung cancer pill being developed by Pfizer showed promise in delaying worsening of the disease, according to preliminary results from a mid-stage study. Pfizer shares rose 0.40% in late trading.

Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were sharply lower. The EURO STOXX 50 tumbled 1.14%, France’s CAC 40 dropped 0.78%, Germany's DAX declined 0.59%, while Britain's FTSE 100 plummeted 1.06%.

During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.7%, while markets in Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index added 0.8%.

Later in the day, the U.S. was to produce government data on unemployment claims, followed by a report on manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia area.