Futures point to Wall Street slipping after surge

* Shares on Wall Street were set for a slightly lower open on Thursday, after logging its biggest one-day gain in about six weeks in the previous session, when it was boosted by a bullish forecast from financial company State Street (STT.N).

* At 0848 GMT, futures for the Dow Jones index DJc1 were down 0.2 percent, S&P 500 futures SPc1 shed 0.3 percent and futures for the Nasdaq NDc1 were down 0.4 percent.

* The FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index of leading European shares was up 0.5 percent at 1,011.47 points, extending a rally into a third day. Banks were among the major gainers.

* In data due at 1230 GMT, U.S. initial jobless claims are expected to have slipped to 460,000, having jumped back up to 472,000 from 457,000, returning to where they were two weeks prior. Claims have flattened out at an elevated level, considerably higher than the pre-recession norm.

* A U.S. appeals court hears oral arguments on the Obama administration's request to stay a ruling that lifted its six-month moratorium on deepwater oil drilling. The administration is trying to keep the suspension in place after the BP (BP.L) well blowout, but a federal judge agreed to block it at the request of drilling companies because it said the suspension was too broad and arbitrary.

* Crude prices CLc1 jumped to a one-week high above $75 on Thursday, reinforcing overnight gains triggered by an industry report showing U.S. crude inventories plunged last week, and boosted by the surge in equities.

* The International Monetary Fund upgraded its 2010 global growth forecast on Thursday, citing robust expansion in Asia and renewed U.S. private demand, but warned the euro area's debt crisis posed a big risk to recovery.

* Human rights advocates have called for a probe into Transocean Ltd's (RIG.N) (RIGN.VX) recent dealings in Myanmar, the New York Times reported. They cite its involvement in a drilling project that apparently included a company that is suspected of having ties to two men accused of laundering money for Myanmar's government.

* Wall Street rose sharply on Wednesday after State Street said quarterly earnings would far exceed expectations, sending its shares up 9.9 percent. It also fuelled optimism about the coming earnings season.

* The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose 2.8 percent. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX and Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC both advanced 3.1 percent. It was the indexes' biggest percentage advance since May 27.

(Reporting by Brian Gorman; Editing by Michael Shields)