Stocks head for modest gains

When Wall Street nearly collapsed

Would panic prevail? That was the question gripping the world in the days surrounding the fall of Lehman Brothers on Sept. 15, 2008. One year after that terrifying Monday, the people who struggled to cope with the financial crisis share what they were thinking as chaos broke out.

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stocks were poised to open slightly higher Thursday as a lower-than-expected report on jobless claims helped to alleviate economic jitters.

At 8:40 a.m. ET, S&P 500, Nasdaq-100 and Dow Jones industrial average futures were modestly higher.

Futures measure current index values against their perceived future performance and offer an indication of how markets may open when trading begins.

U.S. stocks fell Wednesday, retreating from one-year highs, after the Fed left interest rates unchanged and said the economy is improving but that ongoing job losses could dampen a recovery.

"Apparently, the stock market was not as excited about Mr. [Federal Reserve Chairman Ben] Bernanke's comments today as it first appeared," wrote Dan Cook, senior market analyst for IG Markets in Chicago, in a note to investors.

But David Jones, chief market strategist at IG Markets in London, believes that positive sentiment could push up stocks Thursday.

"Barring any real negative surprises from today's data, it wouldn't surprise me to see it push back up," said Jones, prior to the jobless report. "10,000 is what everybody's looking for in the Dow."

Wednesday's trading left the Dow Jones industrial average at 9,748.

Economy: The Labor Department released its weekly figures for initial jobless claims. In the week ended Sept. 19, 530,000 people filed claims, down 21,000 from the prior week's revised figure.

According to a consensus of economist opinion from Briefing.com, 550,000 people were expected to have filed jobless claims.

After the opening bell, the National Association of Realtors will reveal the level of existing home sales in August. Home sales are expected to rise to an annualized rate of 5.35 million, according to a consensus of economist opinion compiled by Briefing.com. This would be up from a rate of 5.24 million the prior month.

The G-20 summit in Pittsburgh begins Thursday. The Group of 20 leading developed and emerging countries will discuss the ongoing efforts to stabilize economies after the financial market meltdown.

Companies: Electric car battery maker A123 Systems is due to make its trading debut on the Nasdaq after raising $380 million in an initial public offering that priced well above expectations. The company will trade under the ticker AONE (AONE).

Rite Aid narrowed its net loss for the second quarter, to a loss of 14 cents per diluted share compared to the year-ago loss of 27 cents. The drugstore and consumer products chain also lowered its forecast for fiscal year 2010, "based on expectations for a continued weak economy." The company expects a sales range of $25.7 billion to $26.2 billion, with a net loss per diluted share of 48 cents to 74 cents.

Rite Aid's (RAD, Fortune 500) stock price fell 10% in pre-market trading.

World markets: Global stock indexes mostly declined. In Asia, most markets finished in negative territory, although Japan shares rose. Major European shares were mixed in midday trading.

Money and oil: The dollar fell versus most major international currencies, including the euro and the yen, but rose against the British pound. The price of oil fell 42 cents to $68.55.