stocks look set to start the week steady as investors keep watch on how price pressures impact the pace of economic recovery futures edged up in japan and australia and fell in hong kong earlier all major us equity benchmarks climbed to records friday with the sp 500 posting its fifth consecutive weekly rally  the longest since august 2020 that was after a largerthanforecast and broadbased gain in us payrolls indicated greater progress filling millions of vacancies as the effects of the delta variant faded