US stock futures edge higher as markets brace for a Fed policy shift in wake of inflation surge

• US stock futures gained Monday, as traders looked ahead to the Federal Reserve meeting later in the week.
• After US inflation hit its highest in 39 years, the Fed is expected to tighten policy with a faster pace of tapering.

US stocks looked set to open higher Monday to start a busy week for central bank decisions, as expectations firmed for the Federal Reserve to accelerate the pace of winding down its monthly asset purchases at its two-day meeting.

Futures on the Dow Jones were up 0.2%, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were each about 0.3% higher as of 5:30 a.m ET, indicating a higher start to trading later in the day. That builds on Friday's gains, when the S&P 500 notched another record high. The dollar gained 0.3% to reach $96.41.

Data on Friday showed US consumer price inflation rose at the fastest pace since 1982 in the year to November, to 6.8% from 6.2% in October, setting the stage for the Fed to decide to announce faster "tapering" of its bond buying.

"Whilst expected, this is by far the highest inflation amongst the world's developed economies, and well above the Federal Reserve's 2% average inflation target," Ben Laidler, global markets strategist at investment platform eToro, said in a note. "This will force them to step up the pace of policy tightening at their meeting."

The Federal Open Market Committee is scheduled to start its meeting on Tuesday. Its conclusion Wednesday will be followed by a policy statement and a press conference held by Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

During the pandemic, the Fed brought in monthly purchases of $80 billion in US Treasury bonds and $40 billion in mortgage-backed securities (MBS) in an attempt to calm the markets and support the economy.

Deutsche Bank economists now expect the Fed to double its pace of tapering — bringing the purchases of Treasurys and MBS down to $20 billion and $10 billion per month, respectively — and the process of tapering to end by March.

Markets will get a reading Wednesday on US retail sales for November, which should provide insight into the strength of consumer demand during the holiday season.

In Europe, monetary policy decisions from the European Central Bank and the Bank of England are due Thursday.

Investors are tracking developments around the Omicron coronavirus variant, after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday urged people over 18 to get a booster shot by the end of the year. The latest figures from the UK showed the highest daily rise in Omicron cases over the weekend, taking its total tally to 3,137. London's FTSE 100 slipped 0.1% Monday morning.

But markets in Europe appeared to focus on the week's bank decisions, rather than Omicron. Frankfurt's DAX rose 1%, while the pan-continental Euro Stoxx 600 added 0.6%.

Overnight, Asian markets gained after China's top-level policymakers hinted at more stimulus to come. On Friday, they vowed to prioritize economic stability in 2022, speaking at the end of an annual conference.

The Shanghai Composite closed 0.4% higher, while Tokyo's Nikkei added 0.7% after positive data on manufacturer sentiment. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dipped 0.2%.

Oil prices inched up on Monday, after last week posting their biggest weekly gain since August as Omicron-related fears eased.

Brent crude futures rose 0.2% to $75.35 a barrel, and West Texas Intermediate was up 0.2% at $71.69 a barrel.

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