NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Stocks looked to get a lift Thursday from news out of the Bank of Japan, as well as a report that General Motors was closer to a deal with Delphi and the United Auto Workers union that is seen as a key to the embattled automaker avoiding bankruptcy.

U.S. stock futures were up, indicating a higher open for U.S. markets.

The Bank of Japan confirmed it is ending its policy of near-zero interest rates, although investors were relieved to see that nation's central bank will hold short-term interest rates around zero for now and continue to act to keep long-term rates low.

The European Central Bank also stated Thursday that it would continue to closely watch for signs of inflation and that ECB said European economic activity is improving. Both statements were taken as a sign that higher rates are on the horizon there as well.

The Wall Street Journal reported that GM (Research) and Delphi are nearing agreement on the broad points of a potential deal with the UAW that could ease fears of a disruptive strike at Delphi and help the two companies reduce labor costs. Shares of GM were up about 0.5 percent in heavy European trading early Thursday.

"I think the news we got out of Japan and ECB was in line with expectations," said Peter Cardillo, chief market strategist at SW Bach. "But it's positive; what it indicates is that the global economy remains strong. They wouldn't be doing it if there was weakness. Of course, GM helps the situation."

Futures were little changed by two economic reports in the early morning.

The government said the number of people filling for unemployment benefits rose unexpectedly last week to 303,000, the highest level since the start of the year.

Although economists had predicted a dip to 290,000, the number still represents a fairly strong job market.

And the trade deficit grew more than expected to a record $68.5 billion in January, fueled by a wide range of goods, the government said.

Oil prices were slightly higher Thursday after falling to close to $60 Wednesday on a report showing larger than expected U.S. fuel inventories. The April light crude futures contract for NYMEX gained 22 cents to $60.24 a barrel in electronic trading, while the April contract for Brent crude rose 62 cents to $60.65.

Major markets in Asia closed mostly higher Thursday on the move by the Bank of Japan, and major European markets were up in early trading.

Treasury prices eased, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year note rising to 4.74 percent from 4.73 percent late Wednesday. The dollar was lower against the euro and the yen following the statements from those central banks.

In corporate news, search engine Google (Research) agreed to pay $90 million to settle a class action lawsuit over so-called "click fraud" by outside parties on its site, in a move seen as an effort to put the growing controversy behind it. But Google's stock fell 0.6 percent in after-hours trading on the news, and shares of Google competitor Yahoo! (Research) also was off in after-hours trading.

Microsoft (Research) on Thursday unveiled its "Origami" project, a paperback-book sized portable computer that is seen as combining a laptop PC and a host of mobile devices.

Economic reports Thursday include the January trade balance and the weekly report on initial jobless claims. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com forecast that the trade gap rose to $66.5 billion from $65.7 billion in December, while jobless claims are expected to be little changed.

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