By Martin Baccardax Wall Street will navigate a series of key S&P; 500 earnings Thursday as investors look to forward projections from a host of companies amid concerns of rising inflation, Federal Reserve rate hikes and slowing consumer growth. Wall Street will navigate a series of key S&P 500 earnings Thursday as investors look to forward projections from a host of companies amid concerns of rising inflation, Federal Reserve rate hikes and slowing consumer growth. The following is a rolling update of the key releases prior the start of trading: MERCK & Co.Merck (MRK) – Get Merck & Co., Inc. …