- U.S. stock index futures edged lower on Friday, ahead of the third-quarter earnings season kickoff, after hotter-than-expected September inflation data solidified expectations for a 25-basis-point rate cut by the Federal Reserve in November.
With major indexes trading around record highs and the benchmark S&P 500 up over 21% year-to-date, third-quarter earnings will test whether 2024's rally can be sustained amid uncertainty over monetary policy, geopolitical risks and the upcoming U.S. presidential elections. "On the whole, there is relatively little in the data that is likely to dispel the FOMC’s confidence in inflation returning towards the 2% inflation target over the medium term," said Michael Brown, senior research strategist at Pepperstone.
Also on deck are Producer Price Index data and the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment survey, as well as speeches from Fed officials Michelle Bowman, Lorie Logan and Austan Goolsbee through the day.At 5:00 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were down 48 points, or 0.11%, U.S. S&P 500 E-minis were down 12 points, or 0.21% and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were down 69.75 points, or 0.34%.
KYIV, Ukraine — A nighttime Russian missile strike on Odesa killed at least four people including a 16-year-old girl, regional authorities said Friday, in the latest in a series of attacks this week on the southern Ukrainian region that are likely intended to disrupt the country’s grain exports.