Stock futures dipped Wednesday as investors weighed another lighter-than-expected inflation report and looked ahead to retail sales data.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials retreated 16 points to 33,589.
Futures for the S&P 500 inched back two points to 3,997.50.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite faded 11 points, or 0.1%, to 11,893.25.
Traders were also on the look out for U.S. retail sales data for further cues on the strength of the U.S. economy. Target fell 13% after the retailer forecast a surprise drop in holiday-quarter sales.
Shares of Lowe's rose about 2% in pre-market trading after the home improvement retailer beat estimates on the top and bottom lines for the third quarter and raised its full-year earnings forecast.
Lowe's reported $3.27 in adjusted earnings per share on $23.48 billion of revenue. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv had penciled in $3.13 in earnings per share on $23.10 billion of revenue. Comparable sales also beat expectations,
Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot and Costco slipped about 1%. Costco and Dollar General lost about 2% each. Kohl's and Macy's fell 3%.
Chinese technology stocks were among the best performers Tuesday, with the KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF gaining 9.6% for its best daily performance since March 16. Nine out of 11 S&P 500 sectors rose, led to the upside by communication services and information technology. Both health care and materials posted slight losses.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 eked up 0.1% Wednesday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index fell 0.5%.
Oil prices inched up six cents to $86.86 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices gained $7.30 to $1,788 U.S. an ounce.