The major indexes posted intraday records on Wednesday, but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq finished the session lower as valuation concerns and worries about protectionist policies made some investors nervous.

Caterpillar shares rose 3.8 percent in the premarket after the company released its fourth-quarter results. 3M also reported better-than-expected results, helping lift investor sentiment. Shares of 3M gained 2.5 percent.

Dow Jones industrial average futures gained 100 points, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures advanced 8 points and 37 points, respectively.

U.S. stock index futures rose ahead of Wall Street's open Thursday as Caterpillar reported better-than-expected quarterly results.

Traders and financial professionals work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

In data news, jobless claims totaled 233,000, below the expected 240,000. New home sales are then set to come out at 10 a.m. ET and the Kansas City Fed manufacturing survey at 11 a.m. ET.

Investors also looked at the European Central Bank after it left interest rates unchanged, as was widely expected.

Elsewhere, oil prices edged higher on the back of weakness seen in the U.S. dollar and a decline in U.S. crude inventories.