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US STOCKS-Futures stall in lead-up to payrolls revisions, Fed minutes
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US STOCKS-Futures stall in lead-up to payrolls revisions, Fed minutes
Aug 22, 2024 2:36 AM

(For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock

markets, click or type LIVE/ in a news window.)

*

Futures: Dow up 0.13%, S&P 500 up 0.04%, Nasdaq down 0.04%

Aug 21 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were largely

flat on Wednesday, as investors remained on the sidelines ahead

of the preliminary revisions to U.S. payrolls data and the

release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's last policy

meeting.

The report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is due at

10:00 a.m. ET. Most economists expect a downwards revision, with

Goldman Sachs expecting that 600,000 to 1 million fewer jobs

were created from April 2023 to March 2024.

"A stronger number would also not change much to the Federal

Reserve's easing trajectory as the latest job data is already

hinting at a cooling labour market," strategists at ING wrote in

a morning note.

Minutes from the Fed's July policy meeting are also due

later in the day, ahead of Chair Jerome Powell's speech at the

economic symposium at Jackson Hole on Friday.

"We expect the Fed chairman to continue to signal that a

first rate cut is on the cards for September. Yet there is a

chance that investors could be disappointed by the comments, if

there are any references to the stickiness of inflation," said

Guy Stear, head of developed markets strategy at the Amundi

Investment Institute.

Financial markets are currently pricing in a 69.5%

likelihood of a 25 basis-points interest rate cut by the Fed in

September, with a 30.5% chance of a super-sized 50 bps cut,

according to CME's FedWatch tool.

Fed Governor Michelle Bowman on Tuesday said she remains

cautious about any shift in central bank policy as she sees

continued upside risks for inflation, warning that overreacting

to any single data point could put progress made against

inflation at risk.

At 05:10 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were up 53 points, or

0.13% and S&P 500 E-minis were up 2.25 points, or 0.04%,

while Nasdaq 100 E-minis were down 7.75 points, or

0.04%.

Wall Street's main indexes closed marginally lower on

Monday, breaking their recent winning streak.

Risk appetite had returned to global equities last week

following sharp declines earlier this month, boosted by the

likelihood of rate cuts from the U.S. central bank in September,

with all three major U.S. benchmarks now at levels seen before

the sell-off.

Among individual stocks, second quarter earnings from retail

major Target ( TGT ) are due before the opening bell.

U.S.-listed shares of Chinese e-commerce firm JD.com ( JD )

dropped 7.7% in premarket trading after Reuters

reported that Walmart ( WMT ), the company's biggest

shareholder, has sold its entire stake in the firm.

Keysight Technologies ( KEYS ) gained 11.1% after the

electronic equipment maker beat third-quarter revenue and profit

estimates.

Overall, U.S. stock trading volumes have been light this

month as many investors are away for summer break.

(Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Varun H

K)

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