NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Stock futures pulled back slightly on Thursday after rocketing higher a day earlier following comments from the Federal Reserve that suggested a slower-than-expected pace at which interest rate hikes could occur. 

S&P 500 futures were down 0.14%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 0.13%, and Nasdaq futures were flat. 

Top Fed officials now expect the federal funds rate to end 2015 at 0.625%, down from previously expected 1.125%. The funds rate is expected to end 2016 at 1.875%, down from 2.5%.

By market close on Wednesday, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq were up more than 1%, and the Dow had regained a level above 18,000. 

Jobless claims for the week ended March 13 came in slightly lower than expected at 291,000. Economists had expected the number of people filing for initial unemployment benefits to increase to 293,000. 

Crude oil fell back close to six-year lows on Thursday morning after receiving a brief boost after the Fed's comments. West Texas Intermediate tumbled 3.6% to $43.05 a barrel. Prices have been under pressure as crude faces an even more severe supply glut. For the week ended March 13, U.S. crude inventories added 9.6 million barrels, more than double a forecast 3.7 million, according to the Energy Information Administration.

The U.S. dollar clawed back to 12-year highs after its biggest slide since 2009 following the Fed's announcement. On Thursday, the greenback was up 1.5% against the euro, 0.55% against the British pound, 1.3% against the Aussie dollar and 1.1% against the Swiss franc. 

European markets pared earlier gains as the European Union kicks off another two-day summit at which Greece's debt crisis will be a key issue. Greece has recently angered its eurozone creditors after passing an anti-poverty law without approval and not updating on current reform progress. Germany's DAX was down 0.04%, France's CAC 40 added 0.07%, and the FTSE 100 in London added 0.08%. 

Apple (AAPL) - Get Report officially joined the blue-chip Dow as of Wednesday evening, replacing AT&T (T) - Get Report. Apple will account for just under 5% of the Dow's weight. Shares were up 0.25% in premarket trading on Thursday. 

Williams-Sonoma (WSM) - Get Report dropped 3% in premarket trading after reporting fourth-quarter earnings in line with estimates. E-commerce sales jumped 9% to $770 million, nearing the halfway mark of total revenue.

Guess? (GES) - Get Report surged more than 10% as quarterly earnings of 63 cents a share beat estimates by 6 cents. Foreign exchange is proving a challenging headwind with first-quarter revenue expected to decline 7% to 8%.  

Target (TGT) - Get Report was on watch Thursday morning after it agreed to pay $10 million to settle a class action lawsuit over its 2013 data breach. Separately, the retailer will reportedly raise its minimum wage level to $9 an hour in April. 

Lennar (LEN) - Get Report jumped nearly 2% after the homebuilder beat analysts' earnings estimates by 5 cents a share and reported an 18% surge in new orders for homes. 

Starbucks (SBUX) - Get Report gained 0.38% after announcing a 2-for-1 stock split during its annual meeting on Wednesday. The split is scheduled for April 9.

Yahoo! (YHOO) added nearly 1% on reports it is withdrawing its operations from China, laying off as many as 300 employees at its Beijing research center, according to The Wall Street Journal. The layoffs would total 2% of its global work force.