US stocks struggling to gain traction during early trade

Major US equity indices treaded water during the opening hour of trade on Thursday as investors tracked the effect of Hurricane Irma, which is on track to hit Florida by this weekend. 

Meanwhile, the market seems to be finding some support from the latest positive development, wherein the US President Donald Trump agreed to extend the debt-limit deadline and fund the government through mid-December.

At the time of writing, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up by over 20-points to 21,829. Meanwhile, the broader S&P 500 Index and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index held near yesterday's closing level, around 2,466 and 6,394, respectively.

On the economic data front, weekly jobless claims jumped to its highest level in more than two year, largely due to a surge in applications from Hurricane Harvey hit Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast. 

Among key Federal Reserve policymaker due to speak today include Cleveland Fed head Loretta Mester, New York Fed chief William Dudley and their Kansas City counterpart Esther George.