By Sam Meredith, CNBC–

U.S. stock index futures were slightly lower Thursday morning, after market participants reacted cautiously to mixed economic data from China.

At around 03:30 a.m. ET, Dow futures slipped 53 points, indicating a negative open of more than 14 points. Futures on the S&P and Nasdaq were both seen little changed from the previous session.

Market focus is largely attuned to economic developments, after data showed China’s industrial output expanded at its slowest rate in 17 years.

The data comes as investors monitor clues about the health of China’s economy, after growth cooled to 6.6 percent last year.

Retail sales and fixed asset investment in the world’s second-largest economy both came in stronger-than-anticipated on Thursday.

Trade talks between Washington and Beijing also weighed on market sentiment after President Donald Trump said he was in no rush to form an agreement.

Stateside, investors are likely to closely monitor another fresh round of economic data.

Weekly jobless claims and import prices for February will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. New home sales for January is set to follow slightly later in the session.

In corporate news, Dollar General, Azul and Uxin are among the companies set to publish their latest quarterly results before the opening bell.

Adobe, Broadcom and Oracle are among the major companies expected to report earnings after market close.