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PepsiCo ( PEP ) down after annual sales growth forecast cut
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U.S.-listed shares of Chinese cos fall
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Futures up: Dow 0.1%, S&P 500 0.3%, Nasdaq 0.4%
(Updated at 8:31 a.m. ET)
By Lisa Pauline Mattackal and Pranav Kashyap
Oct 8 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures pointed to a
higher open on Tuesday, as investors turned their focus to the
start of the third-quarter earnings season later this week and
key inflation data for clues on the Federal Reserve's rate path.
All three major indexes closed down around 1% on Monday, as
a jump in Treasury yields, concerns about the impact of rising
conflict in the Middle East on oil prices, and a repricing of
U.S. rate expectation pressured equities.
While the two-year Treasury yield retreated slightly from
Monday's highs, the yield on the benchmark 10-year note
remained above 4%, as strong economic data last week
prompted investors to trim bets on the scope of the Fed's
interest rate cuts over the rest of this year.
Traders have priced in a nearly 89% chance of a 25 basis
point interest rate cut from the Fed at its November meeting.
Bets on no rate change at the meeting also crept up slightly,
according to CME FedWatch.
U.S. S&P 500 E-minis were up 19.75 points, or 0.34%,
Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 72.5 points, or 0.36%, and
Dow E-minis were up 45 points, or 0.11%
"We did see strong sell off yesterday so it's not unnatural
to see a slight bounce, particularly as there's a vacuum of
fresh data today," said Fiona Cincotta, senior market analyst at
City Index.
Traders will closely monitor consumer price index data, due
this Thursday, for the next major clue on the path of interest
rates.
"We do see an upside to Treasury yields in the very short
term, it has the potential to pressure equities since they're
trading at such high valuations," said Cameron Dawson, chief
investment officer at NewEdge Wealth.
The CBOE Volatility index, Wall Street's "fear
gauge," retreated from Monday's highs but was still trading
around one-month high at 22.04.
Meanwhile, PepsiCo ( PEP ) lost 0.5% in premarket trading
after the packaged food giant posted a surprise drop in
third-quarter revenue and cut its forecast for annual sales
growth.
Fed Governor Adriana Kugler said earlier on Tuesday she
supported further interest rate cuts if inflation continues to
ease, as she expects.
Some Fed officials, including John Williams and Alberto
Musalem, had said on Monday that it would be appropriate to
reduce rates over time.
A number of other Fed officials are expected to speak later
in the day, including Raphael Bostic, Susan Collins and Philip
Jefferson.
Investors were also watching out for the impacts of category
4 Hurricane Milton on the markets.
Among single stocks, shares of Honeywell International ( HON )
rose 1.8% after a report that the company is planning to
spin off its advanced materials business.
U.S.-listed shares of Chinese companies slid, tracking
losses in domestic stocks, as optimism over China's stimulus
measures waned due to the absence of more specific details.
Shares of Alibaba Group, JD.com and PDD
Holdings ( PDD ) slumped between 6.3% and 8.1%.
(Reporting by Lisa Mattackal and Pranav Kashyap in Bengaluru;
Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)