The New York Stock Exchange should start the session with slight gains, based on futures on the S&P500 (+0.3%) and the Nasdaq-100 (+0.2%), following the release of a PCE price index reflecting a stabilization of US inflation.

The PCE price index - closely watched by the Fed - showed annual inflation for April to be stable compared with March, at 2.7% gross and 2.8% underlying (excluding energy and food), in line with Jefferies' expectations.

At this stage, traders seem to feel that the absence of an upturn in inflation may argue against rate hikes by the Fed, a hypothesis that had come back to the fore after comments by certain monetary policymakers.

The Commerce Department, which publishes these figures, also reported that US household spending rose by 0.2% in April compared with the previous month, while household income rose by 0.3%.

On the stock front, Dell Technologies reported a 3% drop in adjusted EPS for its first accounting quarter on Thursday evening, despite 6% revenue growth, thanks to a 42% jump in server and network revenues.

On the occasion of its quarterly publication, which it considers to be solid, clothing chain Gap raised its targets for the current financial year, aiming for growth in operating profit "in the mid-40% range", for example.

Finally, Costco Wholesale reported a 29% increase in EPS for its third fiscal quarter, partly reflecting a non-recurring charge a year earlier.

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