U.S. stock index futures edged higher in light holiday trading Monday evening, with the focus on a slew of upcoming economic readings and Federal Reserve comments for further clues on interest rates.

Trading volumes were significantly lower due to the market holiday on Monday, while investors also analyzed a mixed reading of consumer inflation from last week.

The focus remained on heavy selling of technology stocks due to concerns about disruptions from the artificial intelligence industry, while upcoming nuclear talks between the United States and Iran also raised caution.

S&P 500 futures were steady at 6,852.50, while Nasdaq 100 futures dipped slightly to 24,788.50 by 1:29 AM Saudi time. Dow Jones futures were unchanged at 49,554.0.

Economic data and Fed minutes this week

This week the focus is entirely on a range of key economic indicators, as well as the minutes from the Federal Reserve's January meeting, to get further clues about the path of interest rates.

The Federal Reserve minutes are scheduled for release on Wednesday. In addition to the minutes, several other Fed members are scheduled to speak in the coming days.

Industrial production and durable goods data are due to be released on Wednesday, while trade data for December is due on Thursday.

The personal consumption expenditures price index data – the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge – is due to be released on Friday and is likely to provide clearer indications about interest rates.

Wall Street ends trading flat after mixed inflation data; tech decline weighs on the market

Wall Street indexes ended largely flat on Friday as optimism over cooler January inflation data was offset by a continued slide in technology stocks, with investors worried about disruptions caused by artificial intelligence.

January's Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation data showed a slight cooling in the headline figure, while the core CPI also declined in line with expectations, albeit slightly.

But the data offered no conclusive indications of inflation, with markets largely maintaining their bets that interest rates will remain unchanged in the coming months.

Wall Street indexes suffered heavy losses last week as technology stocks declined due to concerns related to artificial intelligence.

The S&P 500 fell 1.4% last week, while the NASDAQ Composite dropped 2.1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 1.2%.