FX.co ★ US Futures Steady Ahead of PCE Inflation Data

On Friday, U.S. stock futures remained stable as market participants anticipated a pivotal inflation report that may influence the Federal Reserve's policy direction. The Commerce Department is slated to publish the delayed September figures for the personal consumption expenditures index, which is the Fed’s favored measure of inflation, alongside statistics on consumer spending and income levels. Concurrently, ADP disclosed an unexpected reduction of approximately 32,000 in private sector jobs, and Challenger reported 71,321 job cuts in November. Together, these figures underscore ongoing signs of a cooling labor market, despite initial weekly claims decreasing to around 191,000. During regular trading on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slightly dipped by 0.07%, whereas the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite saw modest gains of 0.11% and 0.22%, respectively. In extended trading hours, Ulta Beauty surged by 6% following robust earnings reports, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise and SoFi Technologies experienced declines of 9% and 6%, respectively, due to disappointing announcements.