U.S. stock index futures edged higher on Thursday, led by gains in Caterpillar, Merck, and Ford after upbeat quarterly earnings, while investors awaited data that will likely throw light on the pace of the economic recovery. The Commerce Department’s advance gross domestic product report, due at 08:30 a.m. ET, will likely show the U.S. economy…

Inflation angst and soaring energy prices form the backdrop to the start of third-quarter U.S. earnings season in the coming week. Annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) kick off too from Monday, but the event is overshadowed by a data-rigging scandal that threatens the career of IMF boss Kristalina Georgieva….