By Sam Meredith, CNBC–

  • At around 03:40 a.m. ET, Dow futures rose 76 points, indicating a positive open of more than 57 points.
  • Futures of S&P and Nasdaq were both seen slightly higher.
  • In corporate news, Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Canadian Solar are among some of the companies expected to report their latest quarterly results before the opening bell.

U.S. stock index futures were slightly higher Thursday morning, paring sharp losses in the previous session amid a protracted trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies.

At around 03:40 a.m. ET, Dow futures rose 76 points, indicating a positive open of more than 57 points. Futures of S&P and Nasdaq were both seen slightly higher.

Market focus is largely attuned to global trade developments, after a senior Chinese diplomat ramped up the rhetoric against the U.S. amid a bitter trade war that is showing no sign of ending soon.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Hanhui said Thursday that provoking trade disputes amounted to “naked economic terrorism.”

Washington and Beijing have imposed tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of one another’s goods since the start of 2018, battering financial markets and souring business and consumer sentiment.

Investors are likely to closely monitor a flurry of economic data on Thursday. The latest weekly jobless claims and a second reading of GDP (gross domestic product) data are both due at around 8:30 a.m. ET. Advance economic indicators and pending home sales for April are set for release slightly later in the session.

In corporate news, Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Canadian Solar are among some of the companies expected to report their latest quarterly results before the opening bell.

Costco, Uber and Gap are all set to report their latest figures after market close.

On Wednesday, the Dow dropped more than 200 points as bond yields declined again, triggering concerns about the economic outlook.