U.S. stock index futures remain largely flat as the S&P 500 Index takes a brief respite after eight consecutive days of gains

U.S. stock index futures were largely flat, continuing their strong performance from the previous day, as the market bets that the Federal Reserve will soon signal readiness to start cutting interest rates. After a eighth consecutive day of gains for the SP 500 on Monday, traders took a breather. Stock trading volume declined slightly as investors were reluctant to make big bets ahead of this week's Jackson Hole Economic Symposium. "What we're seeing is that recent data has eased concerns about a slowdown in U.S. economic growth, while not sparking worries about inflation accelerating again," said Kyle Rodda, senior market analyst at Capital.Com Inc.