Futures edge lower ahead of Powell’s speech

US stock index futures were subdued on Tuesday as investors refrained from placing large bets ahead of commentary from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell after two other policymakers fanned concerns about the rate hike trajectory.

Powell is set to speak at a panel discussion at 9 am ET. His speech could provide clarity on the outlook for interest rates.

Wall Street’s main indexes gave up early gains on Monday after two Fed policymakers said the upcoming inflation data will help them decide if they could slow the pace of interest rate hikes to a quarter-point increase at an upcoming meeting in February, reported Reuters.