New Delhi, Sept. 8 -- US stock futures were trading lower on Tuesday, 8 September, as the escalating conflict in the Middle East pushed oil prices higher and fuelled inflation fears ahead of the US Federal Reserve's upcoming policy meeting.

The S&P 500 was set to open 0.4% lower at the start of a holiday-shortened US trading week. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 0.7%, while Nasdaq futures were also down marginally.

Rising tensions in the Middle East are casting a shadow over the better-than-expected performance of US tech heavyweights in the second quarter. Traders' attention has now shifted to the upcoming August inflation data, due on Friday, 11 September, following a stronger-than-expected jobs report.

Data released on Fri...