Investing.com -- U.S. stock futures traded in a mixed fashion Thursday, as investors await the release of key inflation and unemployment data that could convince the Federal Reserve to pause on further interest rate increases.
By 06:30 ET (10:30 GMT), the Dow Futures contract was up 120 points, or 0.4%, S&P 500 Futures traded 5 points, or 0.1%, higher, while Nasdaq 100 Futures dropped 10 points, or 0.1%.
Wall Street’s main indices closed higher Wednesday, the fourth straight winning session. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%, while the broad-based S&P 500 climbed 0.4% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite 0.5%.
That said, these major averages are still on course to record monthly losses. The DJIA and Nasdaq Composite are each lower by around 2% in August, while the S&P 500 is off by 1.4%.
Jobless claims, core PCE index in focus
Recent economic data, including second quarter gross domestic product, job openings and private payrolls, all point to a cooling U.S. economy, raising expectations that the Federal Reserve will soon be finished with its rate-hiking cycle.
There is more data to digest Thursday, including weekly initial claims for unemployment benefits as well the personal consumption expenditures price index, the Fed's preferred gauge of inflation, ahead of Friday’s closely-watched nonfarm payrolls report.
Economists expect initial jobless claims to tick up slightly to 235,000, while the annual core PCE measure is seen accelerating slightly to 4.2%.
The Fed has lifted its federal funds rate from near-zero to a range of 5.25% to 5.50%, the highest level in more than 20 years, but is widely expected to stand pat in September.
UBS sees upside for S&P 500 next year
Even with the cooling economic data, UBS is confident about the future, with the Swiss banking giant seeing a June 2024 price target on the S&P 500 index of 4,700, compared with its 2023 year-end target of 4,500, around the current level.
“Stocks should be able to climb a bit higher in 2024 as earnings growth improves and the market begins to anticipate eventual Fed rate cuts if inflation continues to trend to the Fed’s target,” UBS said.
The blue-sky scenario could take the S&P 500 to 5,200, UBS added, if artificial intelligence really proves to be a game-changer.
Salesforce gains on strong cloud demand
Earnings season continues to wind down, with Dollar General (NYSE:DG) set to report before the open, and Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) and Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) after the close.
Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) stock rose by more than 5% in premarket U.S. trading on Thursday after the software group increased its annual revenue outlook, citing strong demand for its cloud products.
Crude gains after massive U.S. inventory draw
Oil prices edged higher Thursday, as traders digested the conflicting influences of disappointing business activity data from China, the world’s biggest crude importer, and a hefty draw in U.S. crude inventories.
The Energy Information Administration reported Wednesday that U.S. oil inventories shrank by 10.6 million barrels last week, as refiners ramped up production before the Labor Day weekend, which usually signals peak U.S. summer demand.
Markets were also watching for any more disruptions in production stemming from Idalia, which made landfall in Florida on Wednesday, and has since been downgraded from hurricane status back to a tropical storm.
By 06:30 ET, the U.S. crude futures traded 0.6% higher at $82.09 a barrel, while the Brent contract traded 0.5% higher at $85.67. Both contracts were set to break a two-week losing streak, and were also set for minor gains in August.
Additionally, gold futures fell 0.1% to $1,971.65/oz, while EUR/USD traded 0.5% lower at 1.0873.
(Oliver Gray contributed to this item.)