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Investing.com-- U.S. stock index futures fell slightly on Thursday evening, steadying after the S&P 500 hit record highs, with focus turning to key upcoming inflation data for more cues on interest rates.
Wall Street advanced on Thursday, with an upward revision in second-quarter gross domestic product data sparking some cheer. Growing speculation over a September interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve also buoyed stocks.
But overall gains were limited by losses in NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), following mixed second-quarter earnings, and as investors hunkered down in anticipation of Friday’s PCE inflation data.
S&P 500 Futures fell slightly to 6,514.75 points, while Nasdaq 100 Futures fell 0.1% to 23,751.0 points by 19:40 ET (23:40 GMT). Dow Jones Futures fell 0.1% to 45,661.0 points.
PCE price index data awaited for more Fed rate cues
PCE price index data for July is due on Friday, with the headline reading expected to show inflation remaining steady at 2.6%.
But core PCE price index data, which is watched by the Fed as a gauge of underlying inflation, is expected to rise to 2.9% year-on-year from 2.8% in the prior month, reaching its highest level in five months. The print is also expected to remain comfortably above the Fed’s 2% annual target.
Signs of sticky inflation could hurt expectations of more interest rate cuts by the Fed, given that the central bank has cited cooling inflation as its biggest consideration for cutting interest rates.
Bets on a September cut grew sharply after Fed Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged such a possibility, citing some recent cooling in the labor market. But Powell still remained largely non-committal towards future rate cuts, citing uncertainty over the inflation impact of President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs.
Inflation and labor readings for August are expected to reflect the impact of Trump’s tariffs, given that a bulk of his levies took effect this month.
S&P 500 hits record high, Nvidia drifts lower after mixed earnings
Wall Street indexes advanced on Thursday, with technology stocks somewhat brushing off mixed earnings from artificial intelligence major Nvidia. The stock fell 0.8% and was flat in aftermarket trade.
Markets remained largely upbeat over a September interest rate cut by the Fed, with CME Fedwatch showing markets pricing in an 82.9% chance the central bank will cut rates by 25 basis points next month.
The S&P 500 rose 0.3% to a record high of 6,501.86 points on Thursday. The NASDAQ Composite rose 0.5% to 21,705.16 points, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% to 45,636.90 points.
All three indexes were trading up between 2.5% and 3.5% in August, following a strong second-quarter earnings season and rising bets on a September rate cut.
Among major aftermarket movers on Thursday, Dell Technologies Inc (NYSE:DELL) fell 5.3% as weak current-quarter guidance largely overshadowed strong earnings.
Amazon.com chip partner Marvell Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MRVL) fell 11% after posting disappointing guidance for the current quarter.
On the other hand, Autodesk Inc (NASDAQ:ADSK) soared 10% after the software developer clocked strong quarterly earnings.