Wall Street points toward gains with eyes on central bankers

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. markets pointed toward a higher open Thursday as investors waited for hints from central bank leaders about their plans to try to tame four-decade high inflation. On Wall Street, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials gained 0.7% while S&P 500 futures were 0.8% higher. Investors will turn their attention to a panel discussion Thursday with U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde at a meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Rising prices have prompted the Federal Reserve and other central banks to raise interest rates to temper inflation’s impact.