U.S. stock futures were slightly below the flatline on Thursday following Wednesday’s mixed close. Futures of major benchmark indices were lower.
The three-day Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium begins today, with the Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell‘s speech expected on Friday. The theme for the 2025 symposium is “Labor Markets in Transition: Demographics, Productivity, and Macroeconomic Policy.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump intensified his campaign to reshape the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, demanding that Governor Lisa Cook resign over mortgage fraud allegations while the Justice Department reviews the case. Trump wrote, “Cook must resign, now!!!” on Truth Social.
After Home Depot Inc. (NYSE:HD) and Target Corp.‘s (NYSE:TGT) earnings, investors await retail giant Walmart Inc.‘s (NYSE:WMT) earnings, which are scheduled to be released today.
The 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.30% and the two-year bond was at 3.76%. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing an 81.2% likelihood of the Federal Reserve cutting the current interest rates for the Sept. 17 decision.
| Futures | Change (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | -0.25% |
| S&P 500 | -0.11% |
| Nasdaq 100 | -0.02% |
| Russell 2000 | -0.33% |
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 index and Nasdaq 100 index, respectively, were lower in premarket on Thursday. The SPY was down 0.10% at $637.45, while the QQQ declined 0.034% to $565.71, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Cues From Last Session
Energy, health care, and consumer staples stocks recorded the biggest gains on Wednesday, leading most sectors on the S&P 500 to a positive close.
However, information technology and consumer discretionary stocks bucked the trend, as U.S. stocks settled mostly lower with the Nasdaq Composite falling more than 100 points.
The Federal Reserve indicated that inflation risks remain “considerable” due to uncertain trade tariff impacts, casting fresh doubt over imminent interest rate cuts, according to its July minutes. — https://www.benzinga.com/news/politics/25/08/47244480/federal-reserve-outlook-interest-rates-july-meeting-minutes-markets
Shares of Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) fell 1%, its worst two-day slump since April. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) reported strong earnings, but Target Corp. (NYSE:TGT) shares fell 6% on its results. On the economic front, U.S. mortgage applications fell 1.4%.
The Dow Jones index ended 16 points or 0.036% higher at …