US equity futures were mixed pre-bell Thursday as traders awaited the first of two key inflation reports this week and observed oil prices continuing to ascend, with Brent crude futures exceeding $103 per barrel.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.2% higher, S&P 500 futures were down 0.1%, and Nasdaq futures were 0.6% lower.

President Donald Trump said that he expects the war with Iran to end after the November US midterm elections, according to media reports. He told reporters Wednesday that Iran was trying to influence the elections.

Traders digested the latest round of earnings, with Macy's (M) posting higher fiscal Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Oracle (ORCL) is expected to report its fiscal Q1 earnings after the market closes. Analysts polled by FactSet expect earnings of $1.74 per share on revenue of $19.14 billion.

Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 2.7% at $103.95 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 3.1% higher at $99.17 per barrel.

The August Producer Price Index, a measure of wholesale inflation, is scheduled for release at 8:30 am ET. The consumer price index follows on Friday.

The weekly jobless claims bulletin is expected at 8:30 am ET, while the existing home sales report is slated for 10 am ET.