US STOCKS-Wall Street set to open slightly higher on positive trade moves

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* Futures up: Dow 0.15%, S&P 500 0.12%, Nasdaq 0.20%

(Updates prices, adds comments)
By Uday Sampath Kumar
Sept 11 (Reuters) - Wall Street was set to open marginally
higher on Wednesday as China's move to ease tensions with the
United States assuaged some concerns about the ongoing trade war
between the world's two largest economies.
Earlier in the day, China's finance ministry said 16 types
of U.S. goods would be exempted from additional retaliatory
tariffs, ahead of a planned meeting between trade negotiators.
While the move is seen as a friendly gesture to thaw
relations with the United States, analysts are skeptical about
how much it will move the needle in resolving a trade war that
has hurt the global economy.
"The exemption could be seen as a gesture of sincerity
towards the US ahead of negotiations in October, but is probably
more a means of supporting the (Chinese) economy," Iris Pang, a
Greater China economist with ING, wrote in a note.
Comments from a senior White House adviser on Tuesday urging
investors to be patient about resolving the dispute further
downplayed expectations that a trade deal would be agreed this
year. Markets are now looking for stimulus measures from central
banks to stem a global slowdown, with the U.S. Federal Reserve
and the European Central Bank expected to cut interest rates at
their policy meetings over the next two weeks.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday renewed his attacks
on Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, saying that the central bank
should get interest rates down to "ZERO, or less."
"People will be interested to hear what is going to be said
(by the Fed) next week, so until then, barring something
unexpected, things will be quiet," said Andre Bakhos, managing
director at Janlyn Capital LLC in Bernardsville, New Jersey.
Trading in U.S. markets has been subdued this week, with
investors readjusting their portfolios and shifting profits from
outperforming sectors such as technology to those that have
underperformed, like energy and financials.
Among stocks, shares of Micron Technology Inc MU.O rose
1.5% premarket after Longbow Research upgraded its rating to
"buy". Shares of other chipmakers also ticked higher in thin
volumes. Apple Inc AAPL.O was marginally higher after the company
unveiled its latest iPhones on Tuesday and rolled out a
streaming TV service at a price that undercuts Disney DIS.N
and Netflix NFLX.O . At 9:05 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis 1YMcv1 were up 41 points, or
0.15%. S&P 500 e-minis EScv1 were up 3.5 points, or 0.12% and
Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQcv1 were up 15.75 points, or 0.2%.
Futures pared gains slightly after data showed U.S. producer
prices unexpectedly rose in August.