Australians stocks seen flat after drop on Wall Street

The news: The Australian sharemarket is likely to start barely changed after a weaker session on Wall Street overnight ahead of US inflation data.

The numbers: The Dow ended 0.54% lower, the broader S&P 500 index lost 0.70%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 1.2%. ASX 200 futures were trading 4 points or 0.05% higher at 7279 at 0700 AEST on Thursday.

The context: Thursday’s U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) data could influence the Federal Reserve interest rate decisions. The CPI for July, is expected to show a 0.2% increase, the same as in June, which could allow the Fed to leave rates unchanged at its next policy meeting in September. In Australia, investors will be watching earnings for AGL Energy, AMP and Boral among others.