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Futures: Dow off 0.02%, S&P 500 up 0.26%, Nasdaq up 0.47%

Nov 24 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were mixed

in choppy trading on Monday, as investors weighed the likelihood

of an imminent interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve and

scoured for data to get more clarity on the central bank's

monetary policy trajectory.

Stocks hit a volatile patch this month as investors worried

the AI boom might have turned into a potential bubble, while the

prolonged U.S. government shutdown had left them with little

economic data to gauge the health of the world's largest

economy.

Dovish remarks from influential New York Fed President John

Williams offered some respite on the policy front last week but

was also a reflection on how divided policymakers were ahead of

December's FOMC meeting.

Investors are pricing in a 75% chance the central bank will

deliver a 25-basis-point interest rate cut next month, compared

with 42% a week earlier, according to CME Group's FedWatch Tool.

At 05:46 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were down 7 points,

or 0.02%, S&P 500 E-minis were up 17 points, or 0.26%,

and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 115.25 points, or 0.47%.

CONSUMER RESILIENCE IN SPOTLIGHT AS HOLIDAY SEASON KICKS OFF

The focus this week will be on the health of the American

consumer.

Retail sales and producer prices data for September is

expected through the week ahead of the holiday shopping season

that starts with the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, extending

into Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Consumption patterns, the backbone of the American economy,

will be scrutinized at a time when multiple companies announced

layoffs, delayed official data pointed to rising unemployment

and U.S. tariffs weighed on sentiment.

The National Retail Federal said it expected U.S. holiday

sales to surpass $1 trillion for the first time. Last week,

Walmart, the United States' largest retail chain, raised its

annual forecasts in a signal of confidence heading into the end

of the year. Shares of Walmart were up 0.2% in premarket

trading.

Earnings from consumer-oriented companies including Dick's

Sporting Goods, Best Buy ( BBY ), Abercrombie

and Kohl's are expected later this week.

TECH VALUATION WORRIES PERSIST

Despite AI-bellwether Nvidia's ( NVDA ) strong forecast last

week, ballooning valuations of the tech sector has plagued

markets for much of this month. Adding to the gloom, popular

investors also trimmed their stakes in the sector, while others

have taken bearish positions.

Wall Street's main indexes are now on track for monthly

declines in November, with the benchmark S&P 500 and the

tech-heavy Nasdaq set for their biggest monthly losses

since expectations for U.S. tariff hikes sparked a selloff in

March.

Among other movers, Bristol-Myers gained 3.8% after

European rival Bayer unveiled positive late-stage

data for its cardiovascular drug.

Cipher Mining ( CIFR ) and CleanSpark ( CLSK ) gained 4%

each after J.P.Morgan turned bullish on the crypto miners.

In geopolitics, markets also monitored developments around

plans to end Russia's war in Ukraine.