In anticipation of a heavily awaited U.S. inflation data that would keep the Federal Reserve on its current course of accelerated interest rate rises.
Investors were nervous as Wall Street futures edged up on Thursday.
After minutes from the Federal Reserve meeting last month revealed that policymakers agreed they needed to retain a more restrictive policy stance.
All three major indices declined in the previous session.
In a bid to lower inflation from 40-year highs, Fed policymakers increased interest rates at the meeting by 0.75% for the third time in a row.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell promised that they would "stay at it until we're satisfied the job is done."