Stock futures point to a higher open as investors weigh inflation data

US stock futures jumped in pre-market trading on Tuesday as investors evaluated new inflation data out of Washington that showed prices accelerating in March to a 40-year high.

Contracts on the S&P 500 rose 0.7% and the Dow Jones jumped nearly 130 points before the opening. Futures linked to the Nasdaq Composite Index are up 1.3%. Meanwhile, Treasury yields fell slightly, but the benchmark 10-year yield remained above 2.7%, the highest level since January 2019.

The moves come on the heels of a bearish day on Wall Street to start a week marked by growing fears of an economic slowdown due to the war in Ukraine, the COVID-19 shutdown in China and the prospect of a more aggressive Federal Reserve weighing on sentiment. Investors are looking forward to the start of earnings season and more economic data due to be released during the shortened trading week over the holiday.

Markets weigh the latest measure of US inflation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 8.5% in March compared to the same month last year, according to its latest report released Tuesday. This number represents the fastest rise since December 1981 and follows a 7.9% annual increase in February. Heading into the report, economists had been expecting a jump of 8.4% for the month of March, according to Bloomberg data.

Hot red edition comes as investors wrestle with possibility Federal Reserve officials will act more aggressively to combat inflation after… Harsh readings of the minutes of the central bank meeting last week in March He noted that “many” policy makers “were in favor of a 50 basis point increase” in benchmark interest rates last month.

“I think the Fed is really committed to a strong view of raising rates,” Jeffrey Klintop, chief global investment analyst at Charles Schwab, told Yahoo Finance Live on Monday. Tuesday’s CPI data may not have much impact [on the markets] As it might have happened, for example, a few months ago. ”

Although investors have been largely prepared for the possibility that federal policy makers will be more combative in their efforts to combat inflation, concerns have emerged that further monetary tightening could cause an economic downturn. Strategists have begun discussing the possibility of a broader recession in recent weeks, particularly with economists at Deutsche Bank recently warning that central bank actions could slow growth significantly in the second half of 2023.

The story continues

Some said it was too early to make such a call but the possibility is on the table.

Dreyfus and Mellon, chief economist and macro strategist, said: Vince Reinhart on Yahoo Finance Live.

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8:35 a.m. ET: March CPI rose more than expected 8.5% year-over-year

Consumers in the United States I paid more for a variety of goods and services in March Compared to the previous month, price levels across the economy continued to accelerate amid persistent supply and demand disruptions.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 8.5% in March compared to the same month last year, according to its latest report released Tuesday. This was the fastest rise since December 1981. It followed a 7.9% annual increase in February. Heading into the report, economists had been expecting a jump of 8.4% for the month of March, according to Bloomberg data.

With definitive signs of peak inflation yet to be seen in inflation, Federal Reserve members have stepped up their rhetoric about using monetary policy tools to bring down fast-rising rates. Last week, Fed Governor Lyle Brainard said the inflation cut was “Our most important task,” While Mary Daley, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, said that high inflation was “As harmful as not getting a job.“

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7:10 a.m. ET: Contracts in the S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq hold steady as investors await the CPI print

Here’s how the major indices are performing in futures trading before the opening bell on Tuesday:

• S&P 500 futures contractsES = F.): +1.25 points (+0.03%) to 4,410.25

• Dow futures contractsYM = F.): -1.00 points (-0.00%) to 34218.00

• Nasdaq futures contractsNQ = F.): + 14.25 points (+ 0.10%) to 14014.25

• raw (CL = F.): +3.81 dollars (+4.04%) to 98.10 dollars per barrel

• He went (GC = F.): +10.30 USD (+0.53%) to 1958.50 USD per ounce

• Treasury for 10 years (^ degeneration): +0.00 basis points to produce 2.7800%

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6:40 a.m. ET: Small business sentiment drops in US as inflation fears rise

levels of trust between Small business owners dwindled across the country in MarchA survey released on Tuesday showed that more convenience store and pop-up operators cited inflation as their only concern.

The National Federation of Independent Business said its Small Business Optimism Index fell 2.4 points to 93.2 last month, marking the third consecutive month of readings below the 48-year average of 98. The index has fallen every month this year so far.

Of respondents, 31% identified inflation as the single most important problem, up 5 points from the February survey. This number is the largest percentage of respondents who cited inflation as their biggest concern since the first quarter of 1981, also replacing concerns about “labor quality” as the number one problem facing small businesses.

High inflation caused by shortages, massive fiscal stimulus and low interest rates have pressured the economy in recent months.

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6:10PM ET Monday: Little change in stock futures ahead of Tuesday’s inflation data

Here is where the markets were trading before the evening session on Monday:

• S&P 500 futures contractsES = F.): +2.75 points (+0.06%) to 4,411.75

• Dow futures contractsYM = F.): +29.00 points (+0.08%) to 34248.00

• Nasdaq futures contractsNQ = F.): +9.75 points (+0.07%) to 14,009.75

• raw (CL = F.): +0.97 dollars (+1.03%) to 95.26 dollars per barrel

• He went (GC = F.): +9.30 USD (+0.48%) to 1957.50 USD per ounce

• Treasury for 10 years (^ degeneration): +6.7 basis points to produce 2.780%

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Alexandra Semenova is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter Tweet embed

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