US stock futures pointed to a slow start on Monday, as investors came to terms with renewed calls for an interest rate hike to be delayed until 2016. Both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq are expected to open down eight points, while the S&P 500 is expected to begin the session two points lower than Friday’s close. The outlook for economic growth and the jobs market in the US is “good� but inflation is “too low� and has been so for the last six years, the president of the Federal Reserve bank of Chicago, Charles Evans, said in a speech in Stockholm. “The Fed should refrain from raising the federal funds rate until there is much greater confidence that inflation one or two years ahead will be at our 2% target,� he said. “I see no compelling reason for us to be in a hurry to tighten financial conditions until then, Evans added.� The release of the minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting from 29 April will be released on Wednesday and could shed light on the timing of the first rate hike. “In the Fed’s last meeting it rightfully downgraded its view on the economy but still implied a rate hike could happen as early as June,� said Jasper Lawler, analyst at CMC Markets. “It seems pretty unlikely now that the Fed would risk a move in June but depending on the minutes, September could still be on. “A determination to hike rates despite the poor data could rattle markets, but given the minutes are two-weeks old, investors may just look through them. The earnings season continues with a host of retailers reporting this week, starting with Urban Outfitters on Monday. Elsewhere, European stocks were mixed, with the German DAX gaining 0.1%, while over in Asia the Nikkei 225 Index climbed 0.8% but Chinese stocks slid. Oil prices rose, with West Texas Intermediate climbing 0.85% to $60.20 a barrel, while Brent gained 0.16% to $66.92 a barrel. The dollar advanced 0.32% against the pound and rose 0.27% against both yen and euro, while gold futures gained 0.34% to $1,229.50.

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