(Reuters) – U.S. stock index futures remained pretty flat on Friday after investors fell in a previous session over President Donald Trump's tariff threat and the Federal Reserve's outlook for interest rates.
All three indexes fell in the final session, even after downbeat forecasts from retail giant Walmart.
Walmart rose 0.4% in pre-market trading on Friday after cutting its biggest day decline in more than 6% on Thursday, the year-over-year decline.
The S&P 500 is set for a flat weekly finish, and after hitting its all-time highs twice this week, it has retreated slightly, with the Dow and Nasdaq at a pace for a mild weekly decline.
Earlier this week, Trump said he would announce fresh tariffs before next month, adding wood and forest products to plans that imposed previously announced plans on imported vehicles, semiconductors and medicines.
Since returning to the office four weeks ago, Trump has added a 10% tariff on all imports from China. He also delayed for a month, a month, on 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and non-energy imports from Canada.
Last week he announced plans to slap mutual tariffs in all countries that have tariffs on US goods
On Friday, a preliminary February economic activity survey published by S&P Global was released at 9:45am, with the final reading of consumer sentiment calculated by the University of Michigan at 10am.
The Fed's preference gauge for inflation, the Personal Consumption Expense (PCE), is on the radar next week after drawing a complicated picture of consumer and producer prices earlier this month.
According to LSEG data, traders are currently seeing the Fed cut interest rates at least one 25 bases this year by the Fed.
On Thursday, several Fed officials indicated they still feel that US central banks can make further interest rate cuts by cooling US inflation.
One official said the current terms required stable interest rates and did not indicate when or whether she felt the cut was necessary. Comments from Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson are scheduled for later that day.
At 4:50am, the Dow E Minis rose 32 points, up 0.07%, the S&P 500 E-Minis increased 0.75 points (0.01%) and the Nasdaq 100 E-Minis increased 23.25 points (0.11%).
The block slid 7.4% after the payment company's fourth quarter profits failed to reach estimates.
Holdings Celsius rose 33.9% after Energy Drink Maker said he would buy Health and Wellness Drinks Brand Alani Nutrition in a cash and stock combination in a $1.8 billion deal.
