(Reuters) -U.S. stock index futures inched higher on Wednesday after declines a day earlier as investors awaited commentary from Federal Reserve speakers and the release of minutes from the central bank's September policy meeting.
With the U.S. government shutdown delaying key economic data releases and earnings season approaching, traders are likely to parse every signal for clues on growth, inflation and interest rates.
Remarks from St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem, Fed Governor Michael Barr,
Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee and Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari are on deck. Minutes from the Fed's September meeting are also due at 2 p.m. ET.
At 05:08 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were up 83 points, or 0.18%, U.S. S&P 500 E-minis rose 10.75 points, or 0.16%, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis climbed 54.25 points, or 0.22%.
Despite Tuesday's retreat, equities are hovering near record highs due to momentum in AI and technology. The rally has persisted through what is typically a weak period, with investors largely brushing off news related to the government shutdown, now in its eighth day.
Still, caution is evident beneath the surface, leaving stocks vulnerable to a pullback. Gold surged past $4,000 an ounce for the first time, underscoring elevated demand for hedges amid macro uncertainty.
U.S.-listed shares of gold miners rose, with Kinross Gold and Gold Fields up 1.9% and 3.2%, respectively.
"While it appears we are not in a bubble yet, high levels of market concentration and increased competition in the AI space suggest investors should continue to focus on diversification," Goldman Sachs strategists wrote in a note.
A batch of alternative indicators has pointed to a softening labor market. Global investment firm Carlyle estimated on Tuesday that U.S. employers added just 17,000 jobs in September, based on data from its portfolio companies.
That was well below the 54,000 gain economists polled by Reuters had expected in the official nonfarm payrolls report, which was due last week but was delayed by the government shutdown.
Among stocks, FedEx fell 1.9% premarket after J.P. Morgan downgraded it to "neutral" from "overweight".
Shares of Confluent rose 19.8% after Reuters reported that the data streaming software maker is exploring a sale.
(Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
