NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - A record trade deficit and a rise in jobless claims could hurt investors when markets open Thursday.

U.S. stock futures were down, indicating a lower opening for stocks, although a comparison to fair value suggests that the S&P might be heading towards a flat opening.

The trade gap soared to $66.1 billion, up from $59.4 billion in August, according to the Commerce Department. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast that the gap would rise to $61.3 billion. The previous record deficit was $60.4 billion set in February.

The number of people filing for unemployment benefits rose to 326,000 last week, according to the Labor Department. Economists had said 320,000 people would file for unemployment, according to Briefing.com.

Cisco's weaker than hoped for guidance, GM restatement may also contribute to a bearish tone for investors.

Cisco (Research), the No. 1 maker of Internet equipment, reported strong results for the just completed quarter but issued guidance for the current period that fell short of forecasts. Shares of Cisco also lost nearly 3 percent in early European trading.

No. 1 automaker GM (Research) announced it had to restate results for 2001 and the second quarter of this year. Shares of the Dow component, which had fallen to a 13-year low Wednesday ahead of the announcement, were off more than 3 percent in Inet trading early Thursday.

Peter Cardillo, chief market strategist SW Bach, said that both the Cisco and GM news fed into earlier concerns.

"Everytime GM makes a negative statement, it increases the depth of worry," he said. "And there's no escaping the trend with Cisco."

GM had previously disclosed a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into its accounting practices. And a series of tech bellwethers have reported strong earnings but disappointing guidance, including chipmakers Intel (Research) and Texas Instruments (Research), cell phone maker Nokia (Research) and online auction company eBay (Research). But the more recent announcements are bound to hit stocks further, Cardillo said.

After the bell Thursday Dell (Research) is due to report results. The leading maker of personal computers has already warned investors it would miss the earlier forecasts.

But lower energy prices could help limit the downward pressure on stocks. A forecast from the International Energy Agency that lowered consumption outlook had oil prices continuing the sell-off that took prices below $59 in Wednesday trading.

The December light crude futures contract for NYMEX lost 48 cents to $58.45 a barrel in electronic trading, while the December contract for Brent crude fell 51 cents to $56.37.

Major markets in Asia closed higher Thursday and major European markets also gained in early trading.

Treasury prices were slightly higher, lowering the yield on the 10-year note yield to 4.62 percent from 4.64 percent late Wednesday. The dollar held near recent two-year highs against the euro and the yen.

Economic reports due Thursday include the September trade report, which is expected to climb to record levels. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com forecast that the gap between imports and exports will rise to $61.3 billion from $59 billion in August

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