Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on August 26, 2025 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images
U.S. stock futures were little changed early Tuesday after the Nasdaq Composite hit a new record.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose by 16 points, or 0.04%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 0.11% and 0.18%, respectively.
Fox shares dipped nearly 3% after Lachlan Murdoch gained control of the media empire as the Murdoch family settled a dispute over the family trust. Dell Technologies shares slid 2% after Chief Financial Officer Yvonne McGill resigned, effective Tuesday.
Wall Street is coming off a winning session. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.45%, as key chipmakers such as Broadcom and Nvidia helped carry the tech-heavy index to all-time highs. The S&P 500 climbed 0.21%. The 30-stock Dow gained 114.09 points, or 0.25%.
But investors are now awaiting two key inflation reports that could determine what Federal Reserve policymakers will do at their meeting next week. Last week, a surprisingly weak jobs report added to hopes the path for interest rates is lower. However, any surprising strength in the inflation readings could throw a wrench in that outlook. The August producer price index report is due out Wednesday morning, while the consumer price index is set to release on Thursday.
“When the labor market is weakening, the Fed is supposed to cut rates. The problem is that for Thursday’s CPI number, the consensus is now expecting inflation to go up from 2.7% to 2.9%” Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo Global Management, told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.” “And that is exactly muddying the picture, because when inflation goes up, the Fed should be hiking.”
The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index will release Tuesday before the open and provide further color on the economic picture. Any weakness in sentiment could spell more trouble for the jobs market, as small businesses employ much of the U.S. workforce.
Elsewhere, GameStop and Oracle are set to report Tuesday after the close. Apple could also garner attention as it unveils its latest slate of devices, including a new iPhone.
