U.S. stocks are opening lower Friday, ending the week on a fragile note ahead of the release of widely-anticipated inflation data which could trigger further interest rate increases.

The Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 108 points, or 0.9%, the S&P 500 futures were 24 points lower, and the Dow futures contract was down 175 points, or 0.5%.

Investors worry that strong inflation will force the U.S. Federal Reserve to keep raising interest rates, which would likely have a negative impact on future economic growth. Although the major indices closed higher on Thursday, they are on track to post weekly losses.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, a blue-chip index, is down 2% this week and is on course for its fourth consecutive down week. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite is down 1.7%, while the broadly based S&P 500 is down 1.6%, positioning it for its worst week since mid-December.

According to a report from Bank of America, citing EPFR Global data, global stock funds lost $7 billion in outflows in the week ending February 22 while $3.8 billion left cash funds as investors hedged against the possibility that the Federal Reserve would maintain a hawkish stance.

When the Fed meets in March, it is widely anticipated to increase interest rates by another quarter point. This increase will likely be followed by more increases in May and maybe June, bringing the terminal rate up to or beyond 5.2%.

The Fed’s preferred inflation indicator, the core personal consumption index, is scheduled for release later this session and might give the U.S. central bank additional justification to keep raising interest rates.

The index, due at 08:30 ET (13:30 GMT), is expected to be up 0.4% on a month-on-month basis, a rise of 4.3% on a year earlier, compared with 4.4% the previous month, suggesting inflation is proving to be hard to tame.

The Fed’s preferred inflation indicator, the core personal consumption index, is scheduled for release later this session and might give the U.S. central bank additional justification to keep raising interest rates.

In the corporate sector, Boeing (NYSE:BA) stock declined before the market opened on Friday after the Federal Aviation Administration announced on Thursday that the planemaker has temporarily delayed delivery of its 787 Dreamliner jets while it examines a fuselage component.

Beyond Meat (NASDAQ:BYND) stock soared over 14% premarket after the plant-based meat maker reported a smaller-than-expected net loss in the fourth quarter.

Oil prices increased on Friday as a result of a Reuters story that Russia intends to reduce oil exports from its western ports by up to 25% in March, beyond the 500,000 barrel supply cut previously announced.

This news has overshadowed the announcement of another increase in U.S. oil stocks. The Energy Information Administration’s data reveals that inventories increased for the ninth week in a row to reach their highest level since May 2021.

By 07:00 ET, U.S. crude futures traded 0.4% higher at $75.69 a barrel, while the Brent contract rose 0.5% to $82.64. Both contracts were trading down around 0.5% for the week, having clawed back earlier heavy losses.

Additionally, gold futures fell 0.1% to $1,824.75/oz, while EUR/USD dropped 0.2% to 1.0575.