Stocks futures were again showing jitters early Thursday, after a reprieve for the S&P and NASDAQ on Wednesday amid President Donald Trump's trade war.

A back-and-forth over international tariffs is hanging over the U.S. economy, along with a looming government shutdown with a deadline on Friday.

Dow futures evened out ahead of Thursday's open, after earlier trading down about 0.3%.

Federal officials said Wednesday that consumer prices climbed 2.8% in February over the same year-earlier month, meaning inflation cooled more than economists expected.

After initially modest gains, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed on Wednesday down about 0.2%, while the S&P 500 climbed 0.5%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq ticked increased 1.2%.

Markets may look on Thursday to a smaller inflation report called the Produce Price Index, which is expected at 8:30 a.m. ET, along with weekly jobless claims, for an indication of the health of the larger economy.

Still, its news out of Washington that is likely to have the biggest impact on the direction of stocks.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News' Max Zahn contributed to this report.