US Stocks Likely To Open Higher Ahead Of February's Inflation Print: Expert Says Odds Of A Full-Blown Bear Market Remain 'Quite Slim'
U.S. stock futures were up on Wednesday after a volatile session on Tuesday. Futures of all four benchmark indices advanced in premarket trading.
Investors will keep an eye on pivotal February inflation data as stagflation worries have been weighing on Wall Street. Economists polled by TradingEconomics predict a shift in inflation trends, with annual headline inflation expected to drop to 2.9% in February, breaking four months of increases. Monthly price growth is also forecast to slow, as is core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy costs.
On Tuesday afternoon, President Donald Trump reversed his decision to double tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum to 50%, just hours after announcing the hike. The sudden shift, which unsettled financial markets, came after a Canadian official withdrew plans for a 25% surcharge on electricity.
Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury yield stood at 4.27%, while the two-year yield was at 3.94%. According to the CME Group's FedWatch tool, there is a 97% chance that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates unchanged for the March meeting.
Futures
Change (+/-)
Nasdaq 100
0.71%
S&P 500
0.58%
Dow Jones
0.41%
Russell 2000
0.63%
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 index and Nasdaq 100 index, respectively, rose in premarket on Wednesday. The SPY was up 0.72% to $559.92, and the QQQ also advanced 0.84% to $475.54, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Cues From The Last Session
The U.S. stock market closed lower on Tuesday after a volatile session. All sectors declined in trade. Industrials, consumer staples, health care and real estate sectors fell over 1%.
On the economic front, small business optimism fell in February, with the NFIB’s index dropping to 100.7. Uncertainty surged to near-record levels. Additionally, the labor market was strong in January, with rising openings. JOLTS report showed layoffs declining for a fourth straight month ...
