Futures muted on uncertainty about Fed rate-cut size
For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock markets, click LIVE/ or type LIVE/ in a news window
Futures up: Dow 0.08%, S&P 500 0.15%, Nasdaq 0.07%
Sept 13 (Reuters) -U.S. stock index futures were flat on Friday as caution prevailed about the size of the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut that is expected next week, while Boeing shares fell after the planemaker's factory workers went on strike.
Traders' bets now indicate market pricing of a bumper rate cut have shot up, with chances of a 50-basis point cut standing at 41% compared with 14% seen on Thursday, according to CME's FedWatch Tool.
Former New York Fed President Bill Dudley said there was a strong case for a 50-bps interest rate cut.
"If pricing stays where it is currently, it would be the first meeting in years where there's serious uncertainty about the rates decision," Deutsche Bank analysts said.
"A couple of articles were published in the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times suggesting that a 50 bps move was still in play, which has led markets to once again re-evaluate their expectations."
The dollar came under pressure against major global peers, while yields on U.S. government bonds eased across the curve.
Bets of the Fed sticking to a smaller 25-bps cut when it meets on Sept. 17-18 had firmed on Thursday following a slightly higher producer prices report, which came on the heels of the August consumer prices data.
Meanwhile, Boeing BA.N fell 3.9% in premarket trading as its U.S. West Coast factory workers walked off the job early on Friday after overwhelmingly rejecting a contract deal.
Later in the day, the University of Michigan will issue its consumer sentiment survey for September around 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT).
Wall Street's main indexes had closed higher in the previous session, boosted by rising megacap stocks, keeping all three U.S. benchmarks on track for weekly gains.
At 05:06 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis 1YMcv1 were up 32 points, or 0.08%, S&P 500 E-minis EScv1 were up 8.5 points, or 0.15%, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis NQcv1 were up 14.5 points, or 0.07%.
Futures tracking the economically sensitive Russell 2000 small cap index RTYcv1 were up 0.6%.
Among individual movers, Adobe ADBE.O slid 8.3% after the Photoshop maker forecast fourth-quarter earnings below analysts' estimates, signaling stiff competition and soft demand for its AI-integrated editing tools.
Moderna MRNA.O eased 3.5% a day after its shares slid more than 12% when the vaccine maker pushed back its break-even goal by two years and predicted 2025 sales below its forecast for the current year.
U.S. equities saw their biggest outflow since April in the week till Wednesday, according to a report by Bank of America.
Most S&P 500 sectors headed for weekly gains https://tmsnrt.rs/4d20XQR
Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
