US stock futures saw a rise on Wednesday as investors prepared for the Federal Reserve’s interest rate announcement, upcoming economic indicators, and earnings reports from major tech players like Microsoft (MSFT) and Meta (META).
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average(YM=F) remained stable, while S&P 500(ES=F) futures edged up by 0.1%. The tech-focused Nasdaq 100(NQ=F) saw a 0.2% increase. This occurred after the major indices experienced a downturn on Tuesday, causing the S&P 500 to end its six-day record run.
The recent US-China trade discussions concluded without an extension to the current tariff pause. However, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that President Trump would soon make a decisive “final call” on the tariffs. Additionally, job openings have decreased, heightening anticipation for the upcoming July jobs report set for release on Friday.
Starbucks stock surged in after-hours trading after Q2 earnings indicated that US sales dropped less than expected. During the trading day, Boeing (BA), Spotify (SPOT), Merck (MRK), and UnitedHealth (UNH) also released earnings, but only Boeing’s shares saw a significant rise following its report.
The Federal Reserve began its two-day policy meeting on Tuesday, with an interest rate decision to be announced on Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET. Wall Street is expecting the central bank to maintain steady rates and will be closely monitoring the Fed’s dot plot and comments from Chair Jerome Powell for potential clues about future rate cuts this year.
This Wednesday post-market, tech giants Microsoft and Meta will unveil their earnings reports amid scrutiny regarding the effectiveness of their significant AI investments.
Looking ahead to Thursday, both Apple (AAPL) and Amazon (AMZN) are expected to report their results. In addition, investors await data revealing the Fed’s preferred inflation measure, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index.
Finally, the looming Friday deadline set by Trump for trade partners to finalize deals, or face increased tariffs, continues to create tension on the markets.
