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Futures up: Dow 0.19%, S&P 500 0.29%, Nasdaq 0.4%

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WeightWatchers jumps on Amazon partnership

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Boeing ( BA ) rises after FAA approves 737 MAX production hike

(Updates with analyst comments, prices before the opening bell)

By Pranav Kashyap and Twesha Dikshit

Oct 20 (Reuters) - Wall Street was poised for a firm

start on Monday as investors prepared for a wave of earnings

from corporate majors and a long-awaited inflation report, which

could shake up markets later in the week.

Earnings season shifts into high gear this week, with Wall

Street heavyweights, including Tesla, Ford, GM

, Netflix ( NFLX ), Procter & Gamble ( PG ), Coca-Cola

, IBM ( IBM ) and Intel ( INTC ), set to report. Their

results will offer a fresh stress test for equities trading near

lofty valuations.

U.S. regional banks will also be in focus this week, with

upcoming earnings providing a pulse-check on the sector's

health. Markets are still reeling from last week's volatility,

triggered by renewed fears of systemic credit stress in the

banking sector. However, upbeat earnings from some regional

banks helped calm nerves.

S&P 500 companies are expected to post a 9.3% year-on-year

growth in third-quarter earnings, according to LSEG IBES data.

But with expectations running high, investors will look for

strong beats to justify the market's recent rally.

"Renewed credit concerns and concerns over trade policy are

indicative of just how vulnerable the market conditions are,"

said Jordan Rizzuto, chief investment officer at GammaRoad

Capital Partners.

U.S. President Donald Trump stoked uncertainty by suggesting

he might ease tariffs if Beijing resumes key agricultural

purchases such as soybeans. But he blamed the latest breakdown

in talks on China's tightening control over rare earth exports,

casting doubt on any near-term thaw.

Meanwhile, Trump vowed to keep "massive" duties on India

unless it halts Russian oil imports. He would also raise levies

on Colombia amid a feud over the country's role in the illicit

drug trade.

At 08:20 a.m., Dow E-minis were up 89 points, or

0.19%, S&P 500 E-minis were up 20 points, or 0.29%, and

Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 97 points, or 0.4%.

DELAYED CPI

A U.S. government shutdown, which began on October 1, has

halted key economic data releases, leaving investors without

crucial indicators and navigating markets with limited

visibility. But attention now turns to Friday's consumer price

report - a pivotal inflation gauge that could set the tone ahead

of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting on October 28-29.

But the continued freeze on employment data amid the

shutdown means policymakers will enter the meeting without a

comprehensive view of the economy's health.

While September's core inflation is expected to hold steady

at 3.1%, markets are betting on a quarter-point rate cut this

month, with another reduction likely in December.

"The reports that come out, not just this one, but also in

the coming months, still will not answer how trade policy over

the longer term is going to influence inflationary pressures,"

Rizzuto said.

In premarket trading, Boeing ( BA ) shares rose 1.3% after

the planemaker won approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation

Administration to raise 737 MAX production to 42 planes per

month.

WeightWatchers climbed 7.8% after the company

partnered with Amazon for weight-loss drug delivery.