Traders' bets were still equally split between odds of a 25 basis point rate hike and a pause at the Fed's March meeting. At 8:33 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were down 488 points, or 1.52%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 58.5 points, or 1.49%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 130.75 points, or 1.07%. (Reporting by Amruta Khandekar Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)
March 15 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures pared
declines on Wednesday as a bigger-than-expected fall in
February's retail sales and a moderation in producer price
inflation kept alive hopes of a less aggressive monetary policy
stance by the Federal Reserve.
Data showed retail sales fell 0.4% last month. Economists
polled by Reuters had expected a contraction of 0.3%.
A separate report showed producer prices rose 4.6% in
February on an annual basis, against expectations of a 5.4%
rise.
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