Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
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Stock futures were near flat Thursday morning as investors readied for the final trading days of what’s shaping up to be a weak month and quarter.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 39 points, trading 0.12% up. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures both added about 0.2%.
Micron Technology slid more than 3% after the bell after offering weak earnings guidance for the current quarter. Peloton Interactive jumped more than 16% following news that the company was entering a five-year partnership to make content for Lululemon.
The moves follow a mixed session on Wall Street. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite added 0.02% and 0.2%, respectively, while the Dow finished 0.2% lower. Meanwhile, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield hit a level not seen in more than 15 years in the session.
Friday marks the end of what has been a tough trading month and quarter. As of Wednesday’s close, the Dow is poised to end 3.4% down on the month and 2.5% lower in the quarter. The S&P 500 is slated to finish the month down 5.2% and the quarter off by about 4%. The Nasdaq is on pace to finish the month and quarter losing 6.7% and 5%, respectively.
Investors will watch for economic data on jobless claims, home sales and the GDP on Thursday, before turning attention to the latest personal consumption expenditures price index reading due Friday. The PCE reading is the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation metric.
The “equity market needs reprieve on the rates front to move higher, and the Fed needs to downshift from their hawkish position for that to happen,” said Ross Mayfield, investment strategy analyst at Baird. “PCE and other inflation data will be critical.”
Traders will also pay attention to Nike‘s earnings report expected after the bell Thursday.