Futures point to a higher open on Wall Street, ahead of Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Viacom earnings

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open Thursday, bouncing back from yesterday's weak trading session, as investors switched focus to a huge batch of data and corporate earnings. Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 50 points, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 8.25 points and 25.75 points, respectively. On Thursday, markets worldwide showed signs of bouncing back after coming under pressure in the previous trading session. Not only were U.S. futures edging higher, but stocks in Europe were trading in the black, while markets in Asia finished mostly higher. In the previous trading session, U.S. equities closed in negative territory , with the Dow Jones industrial average dropping 138.19 points by the close, with market-watchers attributing the decline to signs that the current bull market was slowing down. Switching back to Thursday's session, a number of major brands are set to publish earnings, including Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) , Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) , Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB) , Best Inc. (NYSE: BSTI) , Manchester United (NYSE: MANU) , Splunk (NASDAQ: SPLK) , Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM) , Gap (NYSE: GPS) and Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) . Alongside earnings, a flood of economic data is set to be published.First off, jobless claims, import and export prices, the Philadelphia Fed's manufacturing survey and the business leaders' survey are all due out at 8:30 a.m. ET. At 9:15 a.m., industrial production is due, followed by the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, set to come out at 10 a.m. ET.Elsewhere, the future of a tax reform deal in the U.S. is expected to add uncertainty to markets throughout the trading day, as investors remain on edge over whether a reform will take place during 2017. House Republicans are expected to vote on their tax reform bill today, with GOP leaders remaining confident that the bill can be passed this week, despite lingering resistance seen from some Republicans. On the central bank front, a number of U.S. Federal Reserve are set to deliver remarks Thursday.In Michigan, Governor Lael Brainard will be speaking at the Financial Stability Conference, while Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan will be in Houston, Texas, speaking at a CFA Society Houston event.Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester is also set to give keynote address at Cato Institute's 35th Annual Monetary Conference: The Future of Monetary Policy, in Washington. Finally, oil prices were relatively steady on Thursday as expectations that OPEC would extend production cuts helped offset concerns around rising U.S. crude inventories. —CNBC's Jacob Pramuk contributed to this report U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open Thursday, bouncing back from yesterday's weak trading session, as investors switched focus to a huge batch of data and corporate earnings. Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 50 points, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 8.25 points and 25.75 points, respectively. On Thursday, markets worldwide showed signs of bouncing back after coming under pressure in the previous trading session. Not only were U.S. futures edging higher, but stocks in Europe were trading in the black, while markets in Asia finished mostly higher. In the previous trading session, U.S. equities closed in negative territory , with the Dow Jones industrial average dropping 138.19 points by the close, with market-watchers attributing the decline to signs that the current bull market was slowing down. Switching back to Thursday's session, a number of major brands are set to publish earnings, including Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) , Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) , Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB) , Best Inc. (NYSE: BSTI) , Manchester United (NYSE: MANU) , Splunk (NASDAQ: SPLK) , Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM) , Gap (NYSE: GPS) and Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) . Alongside earnings, a flood of economic data is set to be published. First off, jobless claims, import and export prices, the Philadelphia Fed's manufacturing survey and the business leaders' survey are all due out at 8:30 a.m. ET. At 9:15 a.m., industrial production is due, followed by the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, set to come out at 10 a.m. ET. Elsewhere, the future of a tax reform deal in the U.S. is expected to add uncertainty to markets throughout the trading day, as investors remain on edge over whether a reform will take place during 2017. House Republicans are expected to vote on their tax reform bill today, with GOP leaders remaining confident that the bill can be passed this week, despite lingering resistance seen from some Republicans. On the central bank front, a number of U.S. Federal Reserve are set to deliver remarks Thursday. In Michigan, Governor Lael Brainard will be speaking at the Financial Stability Conference, while Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan will be in Houston, Texas, speaking at a CFA Society Houston event. Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester is also set to give keynote address at Cato Institute's 35th Annual Monetary Conference: The Future of Monetary Policy, in Washington. Finally, oil prices were relatively steady on Thursday as expectations that OPEC would extend production cuts helped offset concerns around rising U.S. crude inventories. —CNBC's Jacob Pramuk contributed to this report

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