By Alexandra Gibbs, CNBC–

U.S. stock index futures pushed out slight gains ahead of Thursday’s open, building upon the strong session seen on Wall Street yesterday.

Around 4:30 a.m. ET, Dow futures rose 25 points, indicating a positive open of 45.24 points. Futures on the S&P 500 were relatively flat, indicating an upbeat open of +2.70 points, while Nasdaq futures wavered, signaling an open of 6.43 points up.

The moves in pre-market trade came after Wall Street closed Wednesday’s session on a strong note, with the Dow soaring more than 150 points.

Investors continue to monitor the trade rift between the U.S. and China. On Monday, the U.S. administration announced that it would inflict 10 percent tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, which would rise to 25 percent by year-end.

China retaliated Tuesday by announcing levies targeting over 5,000 American products worth $60 billion and to go into effect next week. The country has also filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization about the U.S.’ latest round of duties.

Economic data due Tuesday includes jobless claims and the Philadelphia Fed’s Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey at 8:30 a.m. ET, followed by existing home sales and leading indicators at 10 a.m. ET.

In corporate news, Darden Restaurants, Micron and Thor Industries will publish their latest earnings results.

No members of the U.S. Federal Reserve are scheduled to deliver remarks.