Stock index futures added slightly to gains on Thursday after a decline in jobless claims showed a ray of hope for the anemic labor market recovery.

S&P 500 futures rose 6.2 points and were above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures gained 49 points and Nasdaq 100 futures added 9.25 points.

New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits fell slightly more than expected last week, government data showed.

(Reporting by Angela Moon editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)