LDN - Business

Futures recover; focus shifts to Fed officials' comments

[March 27, 2024] (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures rebounded on Wednesday after ending lower in the last session, as investors shifted focus to comments from Federal Reserve officials to gauge the central bank's policy path in a holiday-thinned week.

The Dow and the S&P 500 recorded their third consecutive decline on Tuesday, as stocks struggled to maintain an upwards momentum with most megacap names coming under pressure.

Investors would look forward to commentary from Fed Board Governor Christopher Waller, who is set to speak at the Economic Club of New York later in the day.

"Waller is generally considered a hawk, so it will be interesting to see how he reacts to the latest data releases," Francesco Pesole, an FX strategist at ING, noted.

"When it comes to Fed pricing, we doubt expectations for the June meeting will change much this week unless we see a surprise in Friday's PCE (Personal Consumption Expenditures)."

The PCE price index, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, is due on Friday, when U.S. markets will remain closed for Good Friday.

The PCE is expected to have risen 0.4% in February and 2.5% on an annual basis. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy components, is estimated to have risen 0.3% last month, which would keep the annual pace at 2.8%, according to economists polled by Reuters.

An upside surprise to inflation can potentially dampen market enthusiasm around early rate cuts.

Traders see an at least 70% chance the Fed will begin its easing cycle in June, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

All three major U.S. stock indexes eye quarterly gains as an AI-inspired rally helped Wall Street clutch record highs recently, while optimism about the Fed cutting borrowing costs later in the year also added to gains.

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A trader reacts after the closing bell on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., March 20, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File photo

At 05:15 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were up 136 points, or 0.34%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 18 points, or 0.34%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 69 points, or 0.37%.

Most megacap growth stocks rose before the bell, with Tesla amongst top gainers, up 1.2%, while AI-giant Nvidia added 1.0%, after falling over 2% in the last session.

Merck & Co gained 4.9% after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its therapy for adults with high blood pressure due to constriction of lung arteries.

Trump Media & Technology Group jumped 12.0%, a day after its stellar debut on the Nasdaq.

Robinhood Markets advanced 6.5%, after the online trading app launched a new credit card.

GameStop slipped 15.3% after the videogame retailer reported lower fourth-quarter revenue and said it had cut an unspecified number of jobs to reduce costs.

(Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)

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