US STOCKS-Futures muted as Wall St heads for worst quarter since 2020 – Reuters.com

US STOCKS-Futures muted as Wall St heads for worst quarter since 2020 – Reuters.com

FILE PHOTO: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., March 30, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

(Reuters) - U.S. stock futures were subdued on Thursday as investors focused on the raging conflict in Ukraine and the outlook for U.S. interest rate hikes, with the main indexes on course for their worst quarterly performance since the pandemic crash in 2020.

Much of the optimism seen earlier this week around the peace talks faded as Ukrainian forces prepared for fresh Russian attacks in the southeast region. The countries will resume peace talks online on April 1.