Investing.com – U.S. stock index futures were range-bound in evening trading on Sunday, as Wall Street found some stability after last week’s wild swings and the focus turned to key inflation data due this week.

Wall Street indexes initially posted sharp losses last week but ended the week largely unchanged, reflecting a mix of bargain buying and easing recession fears. Persistent speculation about interest rate cuts also helped equity markets.

fell 0.1% to 5,365.75 points, while by 19:21 ET (23:21 GMT) it was down 0.1% to 18,602.25 points. fell 0.1% to 39,603.0 points.

Further clues are expected from consumer price index data

The focus this week is entirely on the inflation data, which will be released on Wednesday and will provide further information on the economy and the cooling of inflation.

In July, the reading is expected to have cooled slightly compared to the previous month – a trend that is likely to increase optimism about lower interest rates.

According to , investors are divided on whether to cut interest rates by 25 or 50 basis points in September. However, with increasing signs of a slowdown in the U.S. economy, it is widely expected that the Federal Reserve will begin cutting rates at that time.

The Fed recently signaled that more encouraging economic data would lay the foundation for a rate cut in September, and that it would not have to wait until inflation reached 2 percent, which was its annual target, to begin cutting rates.

Wall Street makes up for last week’s losses

Wall Street indices closed slightly higher on Friday, partially continuing their recovery from last week’s lows.

A slump in technology stocks and fears of a U.S. recession caused U.S. stock indices to post sharp losses last week, with the Nasdaq entering a correction zone from its recent highs.

But bargain purchases by technology heavyweights and the belief that fears of a U.S. recession may be exaggerated helped Wall Street recover most of its losses, and U.S. stock markets ended the week unchanged.

The rose by 0.5% to 5,344.16 points on Friday, while the rose by 0.5% to 16,745.30 points. The rose by 0.1% to 39,497.54 points.

In addition to Wednesday’s inflation data, there are also some earnings data due this week, although the second-quarter earnings season is now largely over. Home Depot Inc (NYSE:) and Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:) will release their results in the coming days.