US stock futures edge higher ahead of key payroll revisions, Fed minutes

Investing.com -- U.S. stock index futures edged higher Wednesday, with investors cautious ahead of the preliminary revisions to U.S. payrolls data and the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's last policy meeting.

At 06:20 ET (10:20 GMT), Dow Jones Futures rose 32 points, or 0.1%, S&P 500 Futures gained 3 points, or 0.1%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures rose 5 points, or 0.1%. 

Wall Street indexes closed a touch lower on Tuesday, ending an eight-day wining streak as they rebounded from the weakness and volatility seen in early-August.  Payroll revisions, Fed minutes in spotlight 

Markets are trading in a cautious manner as investors look for clues over the Federal Reserve's intention at its next policy-meeting in September.

The report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics over potential revisions to the recent nonfarm payrolls data is due later in th session, and most economists expect a downwards revision.

Goldman Sachs forecast that 600,000 to 1 million fewer jobs were created from April 2023 to March 2024 than previously reported, although the influential investment bank stated that the likely downward revision "will exaggerate the degree to which payroll growth has been overstated."

"A stronger number would also not change much to the Federal Reserve's easing trajectory as the latest job data is already hinting at a cooling labour market," strategists at ING wrote in a morning note.

Minutes from the Fed's July policy meeting are also due later in the day, ahead of Chair Jerome Powell's speech at the economic symposium at Jackson Hole on Friday.

While investors expect Powell to provide more dovish cues, especially amid recent signs of some cooling in inflation, he is not expected to explicitly outline plans for an interest rate cut in September.

But the Fed is still widely expected to cut rates next month, with markets pricing in a 67% chance for a 25 basis point cut and a 33% chance of a 50 bps reduction, according to CME Fedwatch . Walmart plans JD stake sale 

The quarterly earnings season is drawing to a close, but results from a number of high-profile retailers are still due.

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT ) and TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX ) are set to release quarterly results Wednesday, and investors will be looking to see if they grab market share from the back-to-school sales.

Elsewhere, Chinese e-commerce firm JD.com (NASDAQ:JD ) stock slid sharply premarket after Bloomberg reported that Walmart (NYSE:WMT ) planned to sell its stake in the firm for about $3.7 billion. 

Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS ) stock surged after its earnings beat estimates, while 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD ) fell after reporting weaker-than-expected earnings.

Furniture maker La-Z-Boy Incorporated (NYSE:LZB ) stock dropped as a weaker-than-expected guidance largely offset strong earnings. 

(Ambar Warrick contributed to this article.)

Source: Investing.com