Investing.com -- Investors await a fresh slew of U.S. economic data on Thursday after figures earlier in the week bolstered predictions that the Federal Reserve may soon end an aggressive interest rate hiking campaign. Dow futures point into the green, aided by improved guidance from Salesforce (NYSE:CRM), which boosted shares in the software group in premarket trading. Elsewhere, activity in China's key manufacturing sector contracts, spurring on calls for Beijing to take stronger action to support the stuttering economy.
1. Futures mixed after fourth-straight winning session
U.S. stock futures hovered mostly around the flatline, after the main indices on Wall Street posted their fourth winning session in a row.
Investors are digesting a series of economic figures in recent days that have pointed to some slowing in the U.S. labor market, fueling expectations that the Fed may soon bring its long-standing cycle of interest rate hikes to a close.
In individual equities, cloud-software group Salesforce lifted its full-year revenue guidance, giving added support to Dow futures (more below).
2. Jobless claims, PCE
The pace of annual inflation in the U.S. accelerated last month, while jobless claims declined, bolstering predictions that the Federal Reserve may keep interest rates on hold at its next policy meeting in September.
The Commerce Department's personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index rose by 3.3% in the 12 months through July, meeting estimates. The figure was faster than an increase of 3.0% in the prior month.
On a monthly basis, the number was unchanged as anticipated at 0.2%.
Separate data from the Labor Department showed that first-time claims for unemployment benefits slipped to 228,000 in the week ended on August 26, down from an upwardly revised mark of 232,000 in the prior week. Economists had predicted that claims would edge higher to 235,000. The four-week moving average, which smooths out some of the week-to-week volatility, ticked up marginally by 250 to 237,500.
3. Salesforce raises guidance, UBS's plans for Credit Suisse (SIX:CSGN)
Shares in Salesforce rose by more than 5% in premarket U.S. trading on Thursday after the software group increased its annual revenue outlook, citing strong demand for its cloud products.
Sales are now seen at between $34.7 billion to $34.8 billion in its current fiscal year, up from its prior prediction of $34.5 billion to $34.7 billion. The improved forecast added to hopes that Salesforce and other major cloud players could see a recent downturn in client spending begin to abate during the second half of 2023.
Elsewhere, UBS has announced that it will absorb the domestic unit of Credit Suisse, as the Swiss bank provided further details about its plans for the former rival it rescued in a government-brokered deal five months ago.
The move, which has been hotly debated in Switzerland ahead of national elections in October, will see Credit Suisse's 167-year old brand eliminated and 3,000 jobs cut in the country. UBS Chief Executive Sergio Ermotti said it represented "the best outcome" for the merged lender, stakeholders and the Swiss economy.
U.S.-listed shares in UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) jumped premarket, mirroring a similar rally in the stock's Swiss listing (SIX:UBSG).
4. Chinese manufacturing activity slips
Manufacturing activity in China contracted for a fifth consecutive month in August, heaping further pressure on Beijing to do more to help reinvigorate the post-pandemic recovery of the world's second-largest economy.
China was initially projected to bounce back strongly from draconian COVID-19 rules this year, but a string of disappointing economic figures have all but eradicated this optimism.
Meanwhile, the crucial property sector remains plagued by a liquidity crisis, a trend that was illustrated on Wednesday when China's biggest developer Country Garden posted a $7 billion first-half loss. The once-booming export industry has also been hit by weaker global consumption.
Chinese officials have rolled out some new measures to support the economy, but have stopped short of introducing wide-ranging stimulus policies. Analysts have argued that more action may still be needed.
5. Oil volatile after Chinese data, U.S. inventories draw
Oil prices edged higher in choppy trading on Thursday, as traders digested the conflicting influences of disappointing business activity data from top crude importer China and a substantially bigger-than-expected draw in U.S. crude inventories.
The Energy Information Administration reported Wednesday that U.S. oil inventories shrank by 10.6 million barrels last week, well above the 3.3 million barrels expected, as refiners ramped up production before the Labor Day weekend that usually signals peak U.S. summer demand.
Markets were also watching for any more disruptions in output stemming from Idalia, which made landfall in Florida on Wednesday, and has since been downgraded from hurricane status back to a tropical storm.