Before the Bell: Rate worries weigh on futures

Equities Wall Street futures were down early Wednesday morning as the latest reading on U.S. inflation fuelled fears of a longer path of rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. Major European markets steadied after a mixed start. TSX futures were negative. In the early premarket period, futures linked to the Dow, S&P and Nasdaq were all in the red. On Tuesday, the Down closed down 0.46 per cent and the S&P 500 slid 0.03 per cent. The Nasdaq ended up 0.46 per cent. The S&P/TSX Composite Index edged up 0.01 per cent by Tuesday's closing bell. "The [U.S.] inflation report…