By Chuck Mikolajczak
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Thursday, after the S&P 500 notched its biggest gain in a month, ahead of data on the labor market and durable goods.
* The S&P 500 <.SPX> snapped a three-day losing skid on Wednesday in a broad advance, led by healthcare and biotech stocks, with gains in the housing sector also providing support after surprisingly strong data on the sector.
* Weekly initial jobless claims data, due at 8:30 a.m. (1230 GMT), may provide investors with some insight on the health of the labor market. Expectations call for claims to rise to 300,000 from the 280,000 in the prior week.
* Investors will also eye August durable goods data at 8:30 a.m. (1230 GMT). Expectations call for a decline of 18 percent after posting a 22.6 percent jump, its biggest gain on record, in July.
* At 9:45 a.m. (1345 GMT), financial data firm Markit will release its preliminary services Purchasing Managers Index for September. The estimate stands at 59 against the final 59.5 reading posted for August.
* Apple
* Jabil Circuit
* Earnings are expected after the closing bell from Micron Technology
* LabCorp
* Asian stocks slipped, giving back earlier gains as initial cheer from the rebound on Wall Street fizzled out while European shares gained ground, as a further drop in the euro fueled expectations of a boost to the region's corporate earnings.
* S&P 500 e-minis
* Nasdaq 100 e-minis
* Dow e-minis <1YMc1> were up 2 points, or 0.01 percent, with 13,259 contracts changing hands.
(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)