US STOCKS-Futures rise in choppy trading, Walmart up on upbeat earnings

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* Futures up: Dow 0.47%, S&P 0.52%, Nasdaq 0.44%

By Amy Caren Daniel
Aug 15 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures turned positive
in volatile trading on Thursday, as investors digested
conflicting reports on U.S.-China trade dispute, while a jump in
retail giant Walmart's shares helped dispel early gloom.
Futures initially dived after China's finance ministry said
on Thursday it would take necessary counter-measures against the
latest tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese goods. But reports that China hoped the United States can meet it
halfway on trade issues led to a turnaround in shares.
"It doesn't matter where we are right now. The number of
variables affecting this market are increasing," said Andre
Bakhos, managing director at New Vines Capital LLC in
Bernardsville, New Jersey.
Walmart Inc WMT.N shares rose 5.5% after the retailer
reported second-quarter U.S. comparable sales that beat
estimates and boosted its earnings forecast for the year.

In contrast, Dow component Cisco Systems Inc CSCO.O
plunged 9.6% after the network gearmaker blamed the bruising
trade war for poor quarterly forecasts. The network gearmaker said prices of some items sold by the
retailer have climbed due to tariffs on Chinese imports, but it
is managing that pressure by negotiating with suppliers and
sourcing from alternate supply bases.
The blue-chip Dow index posted its biggest one-day point
drop since October on Wednesday as recession fears gripped the
market after the U.S. Treasury yield curve inverted for the
first time in 12 years. US/
Trade worries have plagued financial markets for at least a
year fuelling fears of recession, and traders have raised their
bets on three rate cuts this year including one in September to
sustain a decade-long bull market run on Wall Street.
The benchmark S&P 500 .SPX is now 6.6% away from its
all-time high hit in July.
At 7:56 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis 1YMcv1 were up 119 points, or
0.47%. S&P 500 e-minis EScv1 were up 14.75 points, or 0.52%
and Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQcv1 were up 33 points, or 0.44%.
In a heavy day for economic data, investors will be watching
out for the Commerce Department's report, due at 8:30 a.m. ET,
which will likely show retail sales rose 0.3% in July after a
0.4% gain a month earlier.
The U.S. Federal Reserve's industrial production data, due
at 9:15 a.m. ET, is expected to rise 0.1%, compared to June's
unchanged industrial output.