Stock indexes were modestly lower just before the bell today, as investors, who are awaiting several decisions by central banks, worried about inflation. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dipped 22 points to 11284. S&P 500 futures slipped 2.3 to 1258, and Nasdaq 100 futures lost eight points to 1825. The U.S. Federal Reserve will meet Tuesday, when it is expected to leave interest rates alone at 2 percent. Meanwhile, Crude-oil futures slipped two cents to $125.08 a barrel. Concerns are mounting that Tropical Storm Edouard could strengthen into a hurricane and threaten oil installations in the Gulf of Mexico. But crude remains well below its levels of roughly a month ago, when the front-month contract was close to $150 a barrel.
