U.S. stock futures pointed down on Thursday, with traders assessing minutes from the Federal Reserve's policy meeting in January. Markets are also gearing up for the release of key quarterly figures from Walmart (NYSE:WMT), which could provide a fresh glimpse into the health of the U.S. consumer. Elsewhere, Mercedes Benz (ETR:MBGn) (OTC:MBGAF) shares dip as the German automaker eyes a cost-cutting drive and gives a downbeat financial outlook for the current year.

U.S. stock futures edged lower on Thursday as investors looked ahead to crucial earnings from big-box retailer Walmart and digested minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting.

By 03:31 ET (08:31 GMT), the Dow futures contract had inched down by 101 points or 0.2%, S&P 500 futures had slid by 19 points or 0.3%, and Nasdaq 100 futures had fallen by 89 points or 0.4%.

The main averages on Wall Street ended higher on Wednesday, with the benchmark S&P 500 in particular logging both an all-time high and record closing peak. Along with the Fed minutes (more below), U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff threats and the prospect of a potential deal to halt the war in Ukraine were swirling around markets.

In individual shares, Analog Devices (NASDAQ:ADI) surged by 9.7% after the semiconductor firm delivered better-than-expected first-quarter results and an upbeat financial outlook.

Meanwhile, shares in Nikola (NASDAQ:NKLA) slumped by 39.1% after the electric truck manufacturer announced it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Chemicals group Celanese (NYSE:CE) also dropped sharply on a quarterly loss.