Exchange traded funds tracking the major U.S. stock averages were poised for a slightly higher open Thursday after the European Central Bank stood pat on interest rates but said it would extend loans to troubled banks.
The ECB held its key rate at 1.5%. President Jean-Claude Trichet said the ECB would resume a program of buying covered bonds and conduct longer-term refinancing operations, MarketWatch reported.
Separately, the Bank of England on Thursday said it would resume its bond purchases in an effort to boost the sagging British Economy, The New York Times reported.
Dow and S&P 500 futures were slightly higher in premarket action. SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (NYSEArca: DIA) is down about 4% year to date.