Gold prices bounce off 3-week lows; demand likely longer term
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* Futures up: Dow 0.41%, S&P 0.46%, Nasdaq 0.83%
By Shreyashi Sanyal
June 18 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures rose on
Tuesday, as more dovish calls from the European Central Bank
fueled expectations of a similar accommodative stance from the
Federal Reserve.
The U.S. central bank is expected to leave interest rates
unchanged at its two-day policy meeting starting Tuesday, but is
widely seen as laying the foundation for a rate cut later this
year.
The Fed's statement at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT) on Wednesday
will likely provide insight into the impact of the U.S.-China
trade war, President Donald Trump's calls for a rate cut and
weaker economic data on monetary policy. Adding to sentiment were ECB President Mario Draghi's
comments indicating a possibility of new rate cuts or asset
purchases.
At 7:24 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis 1YMc1 were up 106 points, or
0.41%. S&P 500 e-minis ESc1 were up 13.25 points, or 0.46% and
Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQc1 were up 62.75 points, or 0.83%.
Investors also braced for the Group of 20 summit at the end
of the month, which may yield progress on resolving the
prolonged trade war between the United States and China.
Large-cap volatile favorites such as Facebook FB.O , Apple
AAPL.O , Amazon AMZN.O , Microsoft MSFT.O and Netflix
NFLX.O were set to extend gains.
Facebook Inc FB.O climbed 1.5% premarket after it revealed
plans to launch a cryptocurrency called Libra, the latest
development in its effort to expand beyond social networking and
move into e-commerce and global payments. General Electric GE.N inched up 0.6% as the industrial
conglomerate's joint venture CFM International received an order
for jet engines worth $2 billion at list prices, a day after
Indian airline IndiGo placed a $20 billion order for CFM's
engines.