US Stocks: Futures rise as focus shifts to inflation data U.S. stock index futures inched higher on Thursday as investor focus turned to October inflation data for clues on the path of future interest rate hikes. Republicans were edging closer to securing a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives early on Thursday but the control of the Senate hung in balance, two days after Democrats staved off a Republican “red wave” in the elections. Also Read: Buying foreign stocks is legal in India – Here are five simple ways to invest in the US stock market “The market is hoping they (CPI numbers) will deliver firmer signs that inflation in the U.S. has peaked and which … in turn will raise expectations that the pace and severity of the monetary tightening being delivered by the Fed can be eased,” Stuart Cole, head macro economist at Equiti Capital, said. Traders are split on whether a 50 basis points or 75 basis points rate hike by the Fed is likely in December. At 5:44 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were up 29 points, or 0.09%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 6.5 points, or 0.17%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 33.25 points, or 0.31%. Rivian Automotive Inc gained 6.7% after the electric-vehicle maker reported a smaller-than-expected loss, higher number of preorders and reaffirmed its full-year production outlook. Online dating firm Bumble Inc fell 11.4% in thin trading as it forecast fourth-quarter revenue below Wall Street expectations. The CBOE volatility index, also known as Wall Street’s fear gauge, rose to 26.56 points, and was close to a weekly high.
Liz Truss, who took over as Britain’s prime minister on Tuesday, vowed immediate action to help the economy, which faces double-digit inflation and an expected lengthy recession.
Showing correlation with mainstream financial markets, cryptocurrency bitcoin fell to its lowest since mid-June and the market cap of all cryptocurrencies dropped below $1 trillion, according to data provider CoinGecko.
The Bank of Canada is expected to announce a large rate hike later on Wednesday as it battles to curb inflation at its highest in nearly four decades.
(Siddharth Srivastava is Head – ETF Product, Mirae Asset Mutual Fund. The views expressed in the article are of the author and do not reflect the official position or policy of FinancialExpress.com.)