Wall Street edges upward ahead of this week’s consumer prices, wholesale reports 

The Associated Press reports that U.S. shares were slightly higher today after last Friday’s employment data closed out a losing week for Wall Street.

U.S. shares drifted up, with Dow futures increasing 0.2% to 35,217.00 and S&P 500 futures rising nearly 0.3% to 4,509.25.

Investors are also closely watching earnings reports due later this week, including from Disney.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude lost 54 cents to $82.28 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, slipped 50 cents to $85.74 a barrel.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar edged up to 142.28 Japanese yen from 141.71 yen.

This Thursday, the Labor Department will report on U.S. consumer prices for July, according to the Associated Press.

Economists polled by FactSet expect the report to show prices rose 3.3% in July. In June, prices rose 3%, marking the lowest annual rate in over two years. Inflation in consumer prices has been cooling since June 2022, when it hit a recent high of 9.1%.

On Friday, the Labor Department issues its monthly snapshot of prices at the wholesale level.

Wholesale prices have come down more than prices at the retail level since the Federal Reserve started raising interest rates more than a year ago. Analysts predict that prices ticked up very slightly in July, by 0.7% from a year ago. The annual rate of price increases has been easing steadily in recent months.