Us stock index futures were mixed before Friday, with no important data released today, and trading volume in the US stock market has been low recently as many traders and fund managers are on vacation. 86 per cent of the companies in the S & P 500 that have submitted results have exceeded analysts' expectations.

As of press time, Dow futures are up 0.2%, S & P 500 futures are up 0.02%, and Nasdaq futures are down 0.1%.

The FTSE 100th index in the UK rose 0.4 per cent, Germany's DAX index rose 0.9 per cent and France's CAC-40 index rose 0.3 per cent.

The dollar continued to consolidate near a four-month high.

Spot gold continued to climb, breaking the key 1760 mark, but failed to recover Monday's flash decline, the weekly line may fall for the second week in a row. Concerns about the rapid spread of Delta variants have propped up gold, but the rise in the dollar has limited gains.

After the announcement of the PPI in the United States on Thursday, the market remained as hesitant as ever. Market participants seem to be looking for a key catalyst for the next step, but so far no catalyst has been found, which makes the situation quite difficult.

The US producer price index (PPI) recorded its biggest annual increase in more than a decade in July, according to data. The data supported the dollar. Consumer price (CPI) data released a day ago have suggested that inflation may have peaked, but PPI data highlight inflationary pressures and help increase the likelihood that the Fed will withdraw some of its stimulus measures.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced on Thursday that the U.S. producer price index (PPI) surged 7.8% in July from a year earlier, the largest increase since 2010, a higher-than-expected rise of 7.2%, a month-on-month increase of 1%, and a higher-than-expected growth of 0.6%, while core PPI, excluding food and energy, rose 6.2% year-on-year, higher than expected by 5.6%, and by 1% from a month earlier. Reflect rising commodity prices and supply chain bottlenecks, continue to put pressure on enterprise costs.

"as producer prices pass to consumer prices, this suggests that CPI may not have peaked and may increase the bet that the Fed may announce a reduction in bond purchases in September," said Charalambos Pissouros, head of research at JFD Group.

Jeff Gundlach, the billionaire investor, also sounded the inflation alarm this week, warning that US prices were rising at a disturbing pace and that official estimates underestimated the rate of rise.

The focus is shifting from inflation to employment. Although we still need to monitor the impact of the Delta variant, if job growth is strong in the coming months, then the Fed should announce a reduction in bond purchases, "said Sumitomo Mitsui.Said Naoya Oshikubo, a senior analyst at Trust Asset Management.

Some investors believe the Fed could signal a reduction in bond purchases as early as a meeting of central bank governors in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Aug. 26-28, although many others expect the Fed to take a slower approach.

The latest report by UBS, one of Sweden's largest private banks, points out that the Jackson Hole's annual global central bank meeting in late August will be an opportunity for the Fed to indicate more clearly whether it will put the curtailment of bond purchases into action at its September meeting.

"I think they still want to talk a little bit more, and they still want to think about it, talk about it, let's absorb the idea, so when they start doing it, it's not news at all," said Christopher Smart, chief global strategist and head of Barings Investment Institute in Boston. "when they start doing this, it will be very small. They want to make sure they don't disrupt the market, especially in the mortgage market, where they have been buying a lot of assets. "

The Fed will release the minutes of its July 27-28 policy meeting next Wednesday. Us jobs rose by the most in nearly a year in July, prompting some policy makers to step up talk of scaling back bond purchases earlier than expected. But not all policymakers agree that the minutes of the latest meeting should reflect disagreements within the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) over the timing of curtailing bond purchases.

In addition to the uneven data in the United States, investors continue to worry about the spread of the highly contagious novel coronavirus Delta variant around the world.

In the United States, the Delta variant is on the rise, and the number of infections in some states is at record levels. This is a global phenomenon, and countries that seem to be doing a good job of dealing with it, such as East Asia, are now being ravaged by the virus, "said Marc Chandler, chief market strategist at Bannockburn Global Forex.

This trading day, in view of the lack of important data release, coupled with the approach of the weekend, it is appropriate to pay attention to the performance of US Treasuries. Bond sellers are now playing a role in keeping yields above their 1.30 per cent and 200-day moving averages, but seem to lack a firm belief to keep going over the past few trading days.

While the spread of Delta variants may undermine the pace of economic recovery, the stock market continued to rise in the summer, driven by rapid growth in US corporate earnings. Including Disney and Tyson FoodsAmong them, companies reported a sharp rise in profits this week, with 86 per cent of companies in the S & P 500 that have submitted results exceeding analysts' expectations.

Trading volume in the US stock market has been low recently, as many traders and fund managers are on holiday, and only nearly 3.4 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, well below the annual daily average of nearly 4.7 billion.

The University of Michigan's August consumer sentiment indicator, to be released at 22:00 Beijing time, will show whether the rising case of COVID-19 has hit consumer confidence.

Focus stocks

Pre-plate Modena rose 2.1% after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized coronavirus vaccine enhancements to people with weak immune systems on Thursday night.Up 0.2%.

The block chain plate moves higher in front of the plate. Bit Mining rose 9.4%, the first city.More than 5% more than 4. 9% for Patent, 4. 9% for Ebang International Holdings Inc, 4. 3% for Canaan Inc.涨3%。

DisneyIt rose more than 5% before trading, and the growth of subscribers, revenue and profits all exceeded market expectations in the third quarter.

AirbnbDown 4.7% before trading, the company is vigilant about the impact of COVID-19 mutant strains, and is expected to be unable to continue its performance in the second quarter under the impact of the spread of the virus.

DoorDashIt was down 5% before trading, with a higher-than-expected net loss in the second quarter, and new user acquisition is expected to decline in the third quarter.

Virgin GalaxyIt was down more than 5% before trading, which was previously suffered by Credit Suisse.Downgrade rating and target price.

Rocket Companies rose 5.6% before trading, with better-than-expected guidance in the third quarter.

SOFI fell 10% before trading, and the company maintained its financial guidance, which fell short of market expectations.

ContextLogic fell 19.3% before trading, and second-quarter results fell short of expectations.