U.S. stock futures slipped Thursday as investors looked ahead to the release of September’s consumer price index report.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials flopped 50 points, or 0.1%, to 42,766.
Futures for the S&P 500 lost 10 points, or 0.2% to 5,831.25.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite Index dropped 44.25 points, or 0.2%, to 20,418.25.
Delta Air Lines shares were down more than 5% in the pre-market after the airline posted mixed quarterly results.
Shares of power generator builder Generac were down more than 2% in the premarket as Hurricane Milton batters Florida. The stock had been rising as the storm approached the state’s west coast. Week to date, it’s up 9%.
Insurance stocks Progressive, AIG and Travelers rose slightly.
September’s CPI report is due at 8:30 a.m. ET, with investors looking for further signs that inflation is on a cooling trend. Economists polled by Dow Jones anticipate a 0.1% increase on a monthly basis, and a 2.3% advance over the prior 12 months.
The result will also inform the Federal Reserve’s next steps on policy at its November meeting. Fed funds futures trading data suggests a roughly 70% likelihood of a quarter-point cut,
Other economic releases due on Thursday morning include weekly initial jobless claims.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 gained 0.3% Thursday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng popped 3%.
Oil prices gathered 96 cents to $74.20 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices took on $4.50 to $2,630.50
