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Futures: Dow down 0.03%, S&P up 0.05%, Nasdaq up 0.12%

April 9 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were flat

on Tuesday, as investors refrained from placing large bets ahead

of a crucial inflation reading later in the week that could

influence the Federal Reserve's stance on rate cuts this year.

All three major indexes had a flat finish on Monday, as a

rise in Treasury yields after a blowout jobs report last week

kept gains in check.

The focus will be on the March reading of the U.S. Consumer

Price Index (CPI), due on Wednesday, that is expected to show a

rise in headline inflation to 3.4% year-on-year, from 3.2% in

February.

The core figure, which excludes volatile components such as

food and energy, is expected to ease to 3.7% year-on-year,

versus 3.8% in February.

Amid signs of a robust U.S. economy, investors have been

scaling back expectations of how much the Fed will cut interest

rates this year. Current bets of around a 60-basis-point easing

are the lowest since October, according to LSEG data, compared

to about 150 bps that was priced in at the start of 2024.

Traders see a nearly 51% chance of an at-least 25 bps cut in

June, according to the CME's FedWatch Tool, down from 64% last

week.

Minutes from the Fed's March meeting - where it stuck to its

guidance of three rate cuts this year - are due later in the

week and could be key in gauging where the central bank stands

on policy easing.

Meanwhile, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said on

Monday the U.S. central bank must weigh how much longer it can

maintain its current interest-rate stance without damaging the

economy, but did not comment directly on the Fed's monetary

policy outlook.

Also on the radar is the first-quarter earnings season, with

the spotlight on banking giants JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ),

Citigroup ( C/PN ) and Wells Fargo ( WFC ) that are scheduled to

report towards the end of the week.

At 5:36 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were down 10 points,

or 0.03%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 2.75 points, or 0.05%,

and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 21.25 points, or 0.12%.

Cryptocurrency and blockchain-related stocks declined in

premarket trading, tracking falling bitcoin prices. Exchange

operator Coinbase Global ( COIN ), crypto miner Marathon Digital ( MARA )

and software company MicroStrategy ( MSTR ) dipped over

1% each.