We’re eyeing a quiet start to the day’s trade on Wall Street, with US futures pointing slightly higher after yesterday’s lacklustre session. Markets have one eye on hurricane Florence which is bearing down on the mid-Atlantic coast of the US and has the potential to hit some densely populated areas. The storm has however been downgraded significantly in recent days so assuming we see no vast deviation in its track, traders are unlikely to find themselves unduly concerned.
US inflation data due before the opening bell has the potential to surprise as any sharp jump here driven by import tariffs could make for a more bullish tone at the Federal Reserve. With little consensus over the speed of policy tightening in 2019, any hawkish signal here could act as a sell signal for stocks.
In Europe, both the European Central Bank and Bank of England will be announcing their latest monetary policy decisions. After last month’s action from London there’s very little expectation of further action here, although Mario Draghi’s press conference following the ECB statement will be closely followed.
Ahead of the open we’re calling the Dow up 36 at 26035 and the S&P up 2 at 2891.