US Equity Futures Mostly Flat Pre-Bell as Fed Chair Kevin Warsh Avoids Interest Rate Guidance

07:55 AM EDT, 10/16/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures were mostly unchanged pre-bell Friday as traders evaluated the lack of clues from Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh regarding another interest rate hike. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were flat, S&P 500 futures were up 0.1%, and Nasdaq futures were 0.2% lower. At a fireside chat during the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Warsh declined to indicate the likely outcome of the Fed's October interest rate meeting while acknowledging the "synchronous tightening" by central banks around the world, CNBC reported. The CME FedWatch tool showed the probability of the Federal Reserve raising its target rate by 25 basis points in October is at 16.1%, down from 27.7% on Thursday. Traders also digested the latest round of corporate earnings, with Travelers (TRV) reporting higher core income and lower revenue for Q3. Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 0.6% at $106.51 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 0.4% higher at $98.39 per barrel. The September import price index, slated for 8:30 am ET, is expected to show a 1.0% month-over-month increase after a 0.7% gain previously, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The export price index is projected to show a 0.9% increase, compared with a prior gain of 0.6%. The September industrial production report, due at 9:15 am ET, is projected to show a 0.4% gain after holding steady in the prior month.