Futures gain ahead of planned U.S.-China trade talks

[August 21, 2018]   By Shreyashi Sanyal

(Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures rose on Tuesday on hopes that planned trade talks between the United States and China would help resolve the dispute between the world's two largest economies.

The trade optimism helped Wall Street's three major indexes close higher on Monday, though they fell from session highs after President Donald Trump criticized the Federal Reserve for raising interest rates.

Trump told Reuters he was "not thrilled" with the Fed under his own appointee, Chairman Jerome Powell, for raising rates and said the central bank should do more to help him to boost the economy.

The comments pushed the dollar lower on Tuesday, taking the pressure off many emerging markets, and propped up prices of metals and crude oil.

At 7:35 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis <1YMc1> were up 50 points, or 0.19 percent. S&P 500 e-minis <ESc1> were up 5 points, or 0.17 percent and Nasdaq 100 e-minis <NQc1> were up 18.5 points, or 0.25 percent.

Investors are turning their attention to central bank policies this week, as the earnings season winds down.

The minutes of Fed's August policy meeting on Wednesday are expected to indicate the central bank's confidence in economic growth and commitment to future rate hikes.

Powell and other central bankers will meet in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, later in the week, and are expected to discuss low inflation, slow wage growth and weak productivity gains in the U.S. economy.
 

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., August 17, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Among stocks, shares of Apple <AAPL.O> were up 0.5 percent at $216.46 in premarket trading after BofA Merrill Lynch raised its price objective on the iPhone maker to $250.

Retail stocks are likely to come under pressure after quarterly results from beauty products maker Coty <COTY.N> and department store chain Kohl's <KSS.N>.

Coty <COTY.N> fell 8.8 percent after it missed sales estimates for the first time in six quarters as trucker strike disrupted supplies.

Kohl's <KSS.N>, which has gained 45 percent this year, fell 2.3 percent despite strong quarterly results and raising its annual profit forecast.

Toll Brothers Inc <TOL.N> jumped 6.5 percent after the luxury homebuilder topped analysts' estimate for quarterly profit and raised its yearly revenue forecast on strong demand.

(Reporting by Shreyashi Sanyal in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)

[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.