US Stock Market: Futures Trade Mixed On August 13; Why Dow Jones, Nasdaq, S&P 500 Is Not Cheering Softer CPI?

The US stock futures traded on a mixed note in the early hours of August 13, 2026, tracking Wall Street's overnight performance, which does not look enthusiastic about the softer-than-expected CPI inflation reading. On Thursday, Dow Jones futures are down, while Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 indices are marginally up. This is after the DJIA and S&P 500 index traded sideways, with a rally in AI and tech stocks driving Nasdaq Composite and Nasdaq 100 indices on August 12. The focus has not shifted towards more inflationary data.

US Stock Futures On August 13

At the time of writing, the Dow Jones futures are trading marginally lower to around 53,763.40. On the contrary, S&P 500 futures is marginally up to trade around 7,777.25 and the Nasdaq 100 futures performing higher by 31 points to trade at 29,889.50.

The performance comes after Wall Street witnessed a mixed performance on August 12, despite US CPI inflation data calming jitters around rate hikes in the upcoming policy.

Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500

Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average index failed to fetch strong buys and ended at 53,770.27, which was down by 21.58 points. This made DJIA a top loser in comparison to other counterparts.

Because the S&P 500 index surged 20.30 points or 0.3% to trade around 7,748.50. While tech earnings drove Nasdaq and Nasdaq 100.

The tech-heavy index, Nasdaq Composite, surged by 143.04 points or 0.54% to end at 26,588.49. While the Nasdaq 100 index outperformed with 217.12 points or 0.74% to close at 29,742.60.

"Global sentiment turned positive overnight after a benign U.S. inflation print eased concerns over further Federal Reserve tightening, triggering a relief rally across Asian markets this morning, led by a spectacular near 5% surge in South Korea's Kospi. Additionally, a stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings and guidance from AI cloud computing company CoreWeave, which saw its shares jump 19%, lifted technology stocks in the U.S," said Hariselvan Radhakrishnan, Founder & CEO of HST Wealth, a SEBI-registered Research Analyst firm.

US CPI Inflation

US CPI inflation rate slowed to 3.4% in July 2026 from earlier 3.5% in June month, which is broadly in-line with street estimates. US inflation has extended its pullback from 2023 high of 4.2% in May that year.

Also, Trading Economics data highlighted that Gasoline prices rose 24.6% yoy, down from 26.7% in June, while fuel oil prices increased 39.1%, compared with 42.9% previously. Inflation also eased in shelter, to 3.2% from 3.3%, while food inflation remained unchanged at 3%. On a monthly basis, the CPI rose 0.1% as expected, rebounding from a 0.4% decline in June. The index for shelter rose 0.1%, accounting for roughly two-thirds of the monthly increase. Food also went up 0.1%. In contrast, gasoline prices were down 2.9%. Meanwhile, core consumer prices went up 0.2%, following a flat reading in June, while the annual core inflation rate eased to 2.5% from 2.6% in the previous month, matching forecasts.

On Thursday, investors will now focus on US' producer inflation data (PPI) which is another key indicator of US Federal Reserve to gauge inflationary trends for further policy decisions.

As per Charles Schwab expert, the latest US CPI inflation is not strong enough narrative for Fed to continue to hold onto rates. Although, the Schwab team believes Fed is likely to hold rates for the timebeing.

"The report likely doesn't change the narrative for the Fed," said Cooper Howard, director of fixed income research and strategy at the Schwab Center for Financial Research (SCFR). "We expect the Fed to remain on hold for the time being. They are closely focused on their inflation mandate and given this was as expected, it gives them time before making the next move."

Wall Street Outlook On Thursday, August 13, 2026

Thursday is another key day as economic data like Producer Price Index (PPI), Continuing Claims, EIA Natural Gas Inventories, and Initial Claims will be released.

In Schwab's report, it is highlighted that CPI precedes Thursday morning's Producer Price Index (PPI), and parts of both reports filter into the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, the Fed's favored inflation meter due later this month. PPI measures wholesale prices, and it rose steeply earlier this year. This raises worries that some of those higher prices might be getting passed along to consumers, something CPI might shed light on.

Disclaimer: The views and recommendations expressed are solely those of the individual analysts or entities and do not reflect the views of Goodreturns.in or Greynium Information Technologies Private Limited (together referred as "we"). We do not guarantee, endorse or take responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or reliability of any content, nor do we provide any investment advice or solicit the purchase or sale of securities. All information is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should be independently verified from licensed financial advisors before making any investment decisions.