How are stock index futures traded?:
S&P 500 futures rose 0.1%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 0.2%.
Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.2%.
On WednesdayThe Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 243 points, or 0.61%, to 40,008, the S&P 500 gained 21 points, or 0.38%, to 5,455 and the Nasdaq Composite added 5 points, or 0.03%, to 17,193.
The S&P 500 responded to its worst daily decline since 2022 on August 5 by consolidating and then rising sharply 4.9% over the past five sessions as concerns about a U.S. recession eased and volatility eased from the liquidation of yen carry trade positions.
Investors have also become more relaxed about the outlook for monetary policy after recent favorable inflation data underlined the likelihood of a rate cut by the US Federal Reserve in September.
The next hurdles for traders are Walmart’s results and retail sales, both of which must be released before trading begins on Wall Street.
“US retail sales and the latest numbers from Walmart will tell the market a lot about the state of US consumer demand and whether recent recession fears are justified,” said Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell.
