US stock futures mixed on Thursday

U.S. stock futures were mixed on Thursday after the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level since February, according to AP. KEEPING SCORE: Dow Jones industrial average futures fell four points to 16,507 as of 8:57 a.m. Eastern time. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures are little changed at 1,877 and Nasdaq futures are up five points, or 0.2 percent, to 3,578. JOBLESS CLAIMS: The Labor Department says a seasonally adjusted 344,000 people applied for unemployment benefits last week, up 14,000 from the previous week and the most since late February. DISH NATION: Dish climbed $3.14, or 5.5 percent, to $60 in pre-market trading after the Wall Street Journal reported that AT&T had approached the satellite TV company about a possible acquisition. A deal would likely be worth about $40 billion, the Journal reported. TREASURYS AND COMMODITIES: Government bond prices were little changed. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was at 2.65 percent. The price of oil fell 87 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $98.88.