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Futures off: Dow 0.08%, S&P 0.20%, Nasdaq 0.34%

May 31 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures dipped on

Friday ahead of a key inflation report that will test investor

optimism about the scale and pace of interest-rate reductions by

the Federal Reserve this year.

Wall Street paused this week after a recent rally, with the

benchmark S&P 500 index and the tech-heavy Nasdaq

on track for their first weekly losses in six. A spike in

Treasury yields pressured riskier assets, following a weak debt

auction and protracted worries of sticky inflation.

Policymakers have also showed no urgency to ease borrowing

costs, while continuing to stress inflation would fall this

year, even as the labor market stays strong.

However, Thursday's revision in first-quarter economic

growth on softer consumption assuaged some fears, as bond yields

slipped and expectations for a September rate cut inched up to

above 50%. The odds had stayed below those levels for the entire

week, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

All eyes will now be on April's core Personal Consumption

Expenditure data, the central bank's preferred inflation gauge,

due at 8:30 a.m. ET. The index is expected to be unchanged from

the previous month at 2.8%, on an annual basis.

"Where the actual release lands will determine whether we

are entering a new chapter for the Fed disinflation story or

whether it remains trapped in the wreckage of sticky inflation,"

Chris Turner, global head of markets at ING said in a note.

Also on tap are comments from Atlanta President Raphael

Bostic, a Federal Open Market Committee voting member, later in

the day.

Technology stocks including Microsoft ( MSFT ), Nvidia ( NVDA )

and ServiceNow ( NOW ) were little changed in premarket

trading, after the sector notched its worst day in

over a month in the previous session following a grim

second-quarter forecast from Salesforce ( CRM ). The company's

shares were up 0.4%.

At 5:52 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were down 29 points,

or 0.08%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 10.5 points, or

0.20%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 62.25 points, or

0.34%.

Among big movers, Dell forecast current-quarter

profit below market estimates and signaled that higher costs to

build servers that meet heavy AI workloads would dent annual

margins, sending its shares down more than 14%.

Zscaler ( ZS ) jumped 17% after the security-solutions

provider forecast fourth-quarter results above estimates, while

Marvell Technology ( MRVL ) dropped 4.6% after the chipmaker

missed Street expectations for first-quarter revenue, hurt by

weak client spending in its wireless carrier and enterprise

markets.

Gap surged 23% after the apparel maker raised its

annual sales forecast and its first-quarter results beat market

expectations, boosted by strength in its Old Navy and Gap brands

as Americans snap up its trendy denims and limited edition

apparel.

Trump Media & Technology Group ( DJT ) dropped 4.3% after a

New York jury convicted former President Donald Trump of

falsifying documents to cover up a payment to silence a porn

star ahead of the 2016 election.