Indexes fell Thursday on rising risks to oil supplies amid escalating Middle East tensions and as traders braced for Friday's labor market update.

S&P 500 futures are down 0.4%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures are falling 0.4%. Nasdaq 100 futures are slipping 0.6%.

Major U.S. stock indexes were lower on Thursday afternoon ahead of Friday's monthly U.S. payrolls report and as investors kept a watchful eye on the growing conflict in Middle East. Data on Thursday showed that the number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits rose marginally last week.

Indexes edged lower Thursday as investors took in an uptick in jobless claims and simmering tensions in the Middle East. A key jobs report is due Friday.

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Traders are looking ahead to the Friday jobs report, which should give more insight into the strength of the economy and the Fed's next rate move.

Canada's main stock index fell on Thursday in a broader decline led by mining shares as escalating tensions in the Middle East weighed on the broader market. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was down 84.

One day after hitting an all-time high, US stocks are in retreat Tuesday and volatility is rising on reports that Iran is preparing to launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel within the next 12 hours.

Crude prices are jumping Thursday on worries that worsening tensions in the Middle East could disrupt the global flow of oil, while U.S. stocks pull back further from their records. The S&P 500 was edging down by 0.

Conflict in the Middle East is escalating once more, but the mood music across financial markets remains upbeat for now due to shifts in oil production and as global interest rate cuts eclipse geopolitics.