U.S. futures shaken over worsening energy prices

Stock futures have been shaken as rising energy prices worsened concerns about inflation in addition to the lingering worries on China’s property sector, factors that together weighed on sentiment.

Investors are looking to the third-quarter earnings season, which begins this week, for clues on how companies are faring with price increases.

Some of the U.S.’s biggest banks, including JPMorgan Chase and BlackRock, are set to kick off the reporting season Wednesday.

The main topic will be inflation, there is some real concern about a winter of discontent. Investors expect some volatility if companies don’t get their communications right on their cost pressures.