U.S. stock index futures were little changed Thursday as investors assessed an in-line inflation reading and its impact on the Federal Reserve's monetary policy path.

A Commerce Department report showed the Personal Consumption Expenditure index - the Fed's preferred inflation gauge — rose 2.8% in February on an annual basis, in line with estimates, according to economists polled by Reuters.

Core PCE, which excludes the volatile food and energy components, rose 3% on an annual basis, also in line with estimates.

A separate report showed the U.S. economy grew 0.5% in the fourth quarter, compared with estimated growth of 0.7%.

At 08:34 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were down 177 points, or 0.37%, S&P 500 E-minis were down 19 points, or 0.28%, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were down 46.75 points, or 0.19%.