1. U.S. stocks wavered Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average struggling to maintain early gains after global shares dropped, while weak data out of China and Japan -- the world’s second and third-largest economies -- heightened concerns about slowing global growth. Stocks continued their wild roller-coaster ride Thursday, extended the previous day’s losses, where U.S. stocks plunged sharply in the final minutes of trading Wednesday, sending the Dow nearly 240 points lower by the day's end.

2. The dollar remained steady against the other major currencies on Thursday after data showing that Initial jobless claims ticked lower last week as uncertainty over whether the Federal Reserve will hike rates this month continued to weigh.

3. Brazil's financial markets fell on Thursday after Standard & Poor's cut the country's sovereign rating to junk late Wednesday, though assets began to pare losses in late morning trading as the downgrade had been largely priced in.

4. The U.S. labor market appeared to gain momentum in early September as fewer Americans filed for weekly unemployment benefits, but weak inflation pressures may complicate the Federal Reserve's decision whether to raise interest rates. The number of people who filed for unemployment assistance in the U.S. fell in line with expectations last week, remaining in territory consistent with a strengthening labor market, official data showed on Thursday.

5. U.S. stocks were little changed at the open on Thursday amid fears of slowing global growth ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate meeting next week. Global markets were under pressure after data showed a drop in producer prices and car sales in China and slowing capital spending in Japan.

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U.S. stocks look set to nudge higher at the open. But most markets around the world are trading in negative territory.

Here are 4 tips for today's trading. This will help you decide where you should invest and what to look for:

1) Time to settle down

Global stock markets seem to be settling down a bit after weeks of extreme volatility.

As it stands now, U.S. stock futures are pointing up, but not by much.

Most European markets are dipping in early trading. Asian markets mostly closed with losses that ranged from about 1% to 2.5%.

That may seem like a lot, but it's relatively muted compared to recent swings. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Thursday that the economy is "running within the proper range," and insisted Beijing would never start a currency war.

On the foreign exchange market, the Japanese yen is weakening versus most other major currencies. The Aussie dollar is strengthening.

2) Potential market mover

Apple: America's biggest company -- Apple (AAPL, Tech30) -- is still in the spotlight Thursday after unveiling a range of new products on Wednesday, including the iPhone 6S, Apple TV and iPad Pro.

Shares in the tech giant are rebounding a bit in premarket trading after declining by nearly 2% Wednesday. Be ready for higher-than-normal trading volume.

3) Earnings and economics

Lululemon (LULU) is among a small crop of companies reporting earnings before the market opens.

Zumiez (ZUMZ) and Restoration Hardware (RH) will report after the close.

The federal government will report weekly jobless claims data at 8:30 a.m. ET.

Then at 10:30 a.m. the U.S. will release new data on natural gas inventories. Information on crude oil inventories will come out at 11 a.m.

4) Wednesday market recap

The previous trading session started with gains, but ended with losses. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 1.5%, the S&P 500 dipped 1.4% and the Nasdaq lost 1.2%.

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What is it? This is the nation's earliest economic data. The market impact fluctuates from week to week - there tends to be more focus on the release when traders need to diagnose recent developments, or when the reading is at extremes.

When? At 8:30am Eastern Time.

Trading Tip: If the actual number is higher than the forecast, you can expect the USD to rise.

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What is it? It's among the primary tools the MPC uses to communicate with investors about monetary policy. It contains the outcome of their vote on interest rates and other policy measures, along with commentary about the economic conditions that influenced their votes. Most importantly, it discusses the economic outlook and offers clues on the outcome of future votes.

When? Tentative

Trading Tip: If the announcement will hint towards higher interest rates, you can expect the GBP to rise.

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What is it? It's among the primary tools the MPC uses to communicate with investors about monetary policy. It contains the outcome of their vote on interest rates and other policy measures, along with commentary about the economic conditions that influenced their votes. Most importantly, it discusses the economic outlook and offers clues on the outcome of future votes.

When? Tentative

Trading Tip: If the announcement will hint towards higher interest rates, you can expect the GBP to rise.

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What is it? When there is a change in rates the MPC will also issue a statement. The rate decision is often priced in the market so it tends to be overshadowed by the MPC Rate Statement which is focused on the future.

When? At 7:00am Eastern Time.

Trading Tip: If the actual number is higher than the forecast, you can expect the GBP to rise.

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1. Wall Street opened higher on Wednesday after China's finance ministry said the government will strengthen fiscal policy, boost infrastructure spending and speed up tax reforms.

2. Gold futures fell to the lowest level in more than three weeks on Wednesday, as a broadly stronger U.S. dollar and rallying global equity markets reduced the appeal of the precious metal.

3. The dollar pushed higher against against the other major currencies on Wednesday, amid hopes for fresh easing measures by the Bank of China. The dollar was higher against the yen, with USD/JPY up 0.92% at 120.91.

4. Global shares surged on Wednesday, led by the biggest daily gains in Japan for seven years, helping lift the dollar and oil prices as the prospect of more stimulus from China soothed investors rattled by recent market turmoil. The charge into stocks pushed yields on low-risk government bonds higher, with the rise exacerbated by the anticipation of auctions of German and U.S. 10-year debt later in the day.

5. Lockheed Martin Corp (NYSE:LMT), the maker of F-35 fighter jets, said it would cut about 500 jobs in its IT services unit by mid-November. Lockheed said the job cuts were unrelated to the strategic review the company announced in July for its government IT and technical services businesses.

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