Stocks Mostly Down Pre-Bell as Investors Await Data on Wholesale Prices, Retail Sales

07:27 AM EDT, 10/15/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US equity markets were mostly pointing lower before the opening bell Thursday as traders await key data on wholesale prices and retail sales. The S&P 500 declined 0.3% and the Nasdaq 100 fell 1.1% in premarket activity, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3%. Wall Street closed Wednesday trading in the red, with the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 down for the third consecutive session. September's producer price index, a measure of wholesale prices, is scheduled to be released at 8:30 am ET. Official data is expected to show that producer prices rose 0.6% and 5.4% last month on sequential and annual bases, respectively, according to a Bloomberg-compiled consensus. The retail sales report for September is also out at 8:30 am. Sales are expected to rise 0.3% last month after climbing 1.2% in August. The two reports come after government data showed Wednesday that last month's annual consumer price growth reached the highest level since May, boosting bets on a second straight Federal Reserve rate hike later in October. "The larger than expected increase in the core CPI in September increases the odds that the (Fed) raises rates at its meeting later this month," Oxford Economics Lead US Economist Nancy Vanden Houten said in remarks emailed to MT Newswires on Wednesday. Markets are currently pricing in a 71% probability that the central bank will keep its benchmark rate steady later this month, with the remaining odds in favor of a 25-basis-point hike, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Treasury yields dropped early Thursday, with the two-year rate retreating 7 basis points to 4.73% and the 10-year rate plunging 11 basis points to 5.08%. Thursday's economic calendar also has the weekly jobless claims bulletin followed by the Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index and the Empire State manufacturing index, both for this month. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh is slated to speak at 11:30 pm, while Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack speaks earlier at 4:30 pm. West Texas Intermediate crude oil dipped 0.4% to $94.73 a barrel, while Brent fell 1.9% to $104.09. The US is considering easing sanctions on some of Russia's unregulated shadow fleet tankers to help lower freight rates and increase flexibility in diesel shipments, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing an official. Two Singapore-registered container vessels were reportedly struck by unknown projectiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement. The chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said Wednesday that Tehran is "counting the moments" until it can sink US warships, CNBC reported, citing state-affiliated media. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing's (TSM) US-listed stock declined nearly 2% pre-bell after the chipmaker issued a fourth-quarter gross margin outlook that implied a sequential decrease at the midpoint. Charles Schwab (SCHW), Prologis (PLD), Bank of New York Mellon (BNY), US Bancorp (USB), PNC Financial Services (PNC), First Horizon (FHN) and Commercial Metals (CMC) report their latest financial results before the bell, among others. J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) posts its earnings after the markets close. Spot gold increased 1.7% to $4,176 per troy ounce, while bitcoin traded down 0.8% at $81,073.