Futures flat as countdown to Trump's inauguration begins

[January 19, 2017]  By Yashaswini Swamynathan

(Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Thursday, with investors seemingly wary of taking on risk ahead of Donald Trump's swearing-in as U.S. president on Friday.

* Markets are also eyeing a raft of economic data and a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.

* After having driven Wall Street to record highs in a post-election rally, investors are on the sidelines as they wait for Trump's inaugural speech to get a better understanding of his policies.

* The Dow Jones Industrial Average <.DJI> closed lower for the fourth session in a row on Wednesday as energy stocks were hit by falling oil prices.

* With the fourth-quarter earnings season picking up pace, investors will be focusing on key companies including Dow components IBM <IBM.N> and American Express, which are scheduled to report results after market close.

* Yellen is expected to speak late Thursday evening on monetary policy. In an appearance on Wednesday, Yellen sought to soothe nerves by saying that it made sense to raise interest rates gradually.

* Investors have been worried that Trump's pro-growth proposals may bump up inflation and force the central bank to increase the pace of rate hikes.

* Among data scheduled for Thursday is a report on jobless claims, which likely ticked up last week. Also due is a report on housing starts for December. Both reports are expected at 8:30 a.m. ET (1330 GMT).

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) shortly after the opening bell in New York, U.S., January 13, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

* Stocks moving premarket included Netflix that jumped 8.1 percent to $144.05 after the streaming video provider said it added far more subscribers in its latest quarter than what was expected.

* Tesla rose 3 percent to $245.59 after Panasonic said it aimed to extend its partnership with the electric carmaker into self-driving technology.

Futures snapshot at 6:44 a.m. ET:

* Dow e-minis were down 9 points, or 0.05 percent, with 11,485 contracts changing hands.

* S&P 500 e-minis were down 1.75 points, or 0.08 percent, with 71,426 contracts traded.

* Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 3 points, or 0.06 percent, on volume of 14,669 contracts.

(Reporting by Yashaswini Swamynathan in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)

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