Futures Little Changed Ahead of Fed Inflation Reading



Stock futures traded near the flatline Friday as Wall Street awaits a key inflation reading.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials gained 31 points, or 0.1%, to 42,586.

Futures for the S&P acquired 3.25 points, or 0.1%, at 5,807.25.

Futures for the NASDAQ picked up 14.5 points, or 0.1%, to 20,360.75.

The three major indexes are higher for the week, with the S&P 500 up nearly 0.8% and the 30-stock Dow on pace to rise 0.3%. The NASDAQ Composite is on track for a roughly 1.4% week-to-date advance.

Wholesale retailer Costco and ski resorts owner Vail Resorts both reported financial results after Thursday’s close that led their shares lower.

Traders are awaiting the release of August’s personal consumption expenditures price index, due at 8:30 a.m. ET. The so-called PCE is the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation metric, and policymakers and Wall Street alike are hoping for figures that show a cooling trend.

Economists polled by Dow Jones expect that headline PCE rose at a 2.3% annualized pace, and that it gained 0.1% from the prior month.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 surged 2.3%, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng hiked 3.6%

Oil prices dipped 12 cents to $67.55 U.S. a barrel.

Gold prices slumped $8.10 to $2,686.80