1. Fed to raise rates “fairly soon”

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was steady at 101.36 in New York morning trade, retreating from the prior session's high of 101.71. Treasury yields were little changed, with the 10-year yield around 2.411%.

Minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest meeting showed policymakers thought it may be appropriate to raise interest rates again "fairly soon" should jobs and inflation data come in line with expectations.

However, the U.S. central bank gave no firm signal on the timing of its next rate move, with policymakers noting uncertainty over economic policy under the Donald Trump administration.

Fed fund futures priced in about a 20% chance of a rate hike in March, little changed from before the release of the Fed minutes. Odds of a May increase was seen at around 51%, while June odds were at 72%.

2. Trump to meet manufacturers

President Donald Trump, who has vowed to stop U.S. manufacturing from disappearing overseas, will seek job-creation advice on Thursday from at least five companies that are laying off thousands of workers as they shift production abroad.

Executives from Caterpillar, United Technologies, 3M, General Electric and Dana are among a group of business leaders due to meet with the president on Thursday to discuss how to help the president deliver on his promise to increase factory employment, according to the White House.

Markets are also in a wait-and-see mode in anticipation of Trump’s address of a joint session of Congress on Tuesday next week, at which he is expected to announce tax policies.

3. U.S. Treasury Secretary in focus

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is scheduled to appear on CNBC's "Squawk Box" at 12:00 GMT and taxes are the topic traders want to hear about most.

Market players are hoping he will reveal what the Trump administration's highly-anticipated tax reform plan will look like and when they might see it. They are also looking for details on a wide range of topics, including currency valuations, trade policies and banking regulation.

Mnuchin on Wednesday praised the strong dollar as a reflection of confidence in the U.S. economy, telling The Wall Street Journal in an interview that it was "a good thing" in the long run.

4. Global stocks rally paused

U.S. stock market futures pointed to a muted open near all-time highs on Thursday morning, as traders eyed earnings reports from retail heavyweights Kohl's, Gap and Nordstrom.

In Europe, stocks hunted for direction in mid-morning trade, as investors eyed a further raft of corporate earnings reports.

Earlier, in Asia, markets ended the day mixed, with the Shanghai Composite in China closing down around 0.3%, while Japan's Nikkei dipped about 0.1%.