Stock index futures held gains on Thursday after data showed jobless claims fell in the latest week, while the April trade gap widened to $40.29 billion.

Futures were already in positive territory, boosted by confirmation of solid China export data and a climb in the euro.

S&P 500 futures rose 11.7 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 73 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures were up 14 points.

(Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

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