US stock index futures were little changed Wednesday ahead of the conclusion of the Federal Reserve latest policy meeting, with more important corporate earnings on the slate , News.az reports citing Investhing.
At 05:50 ET (10:50 GMT), Dow Jones Futures dropped 20 points, or 0.1%, while S&P 500 Futures inched 5 points higher, or 0.1%, higher, and Nasdaq 100 Futures gained 80 points, or 0.4%.Fed ends policy meeting
Investors are intently focused on the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting , which concludes later Wednesday, with widespread expectations that the central bank will maintain current interest rates.
This meeting comes on the heels of President Donald Trump's virtual address to the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier his month where he advocated for immediate rate cuts.
The Fed's decision-making process is further complicated by potential inflationary pressures stemming from proposed tariffs and protectionist policies.
Despite the President's remarks, the Fed is expected to hold rates steady, with market participants set to closely monitor the Fed’s commentary on inflation and economic growth, especially in light of recent technological developments in AI and global trade dynamics concerns around US tariffs.
Big tech earnings in focus
Aside from the US central bank's decision, the focus Wednesday is likely to be on a raft of quarterly results from major tech industry players -- and recent stock market drivers -- this week.
Software (ETR:SOWGn) titan Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Facebook-owner Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), and electric vehicle maker Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) are due to report after the closing bell on Wall Street on Wednesday, followed by iPhone-manufacturer Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) on Thursday.
The four companies are all part of the so-called "Magnificent 7" collection of large tech firms which have underpinned strong gains in stock markets over much of the past two years.
AI will likely be a central topic for analysts as they pour through the numbers, especially after Monday's DeepSeek-inspired rout in equities. Silicon Valley executives have previously stated their intent to shell out billions of dollars on developing their AI infrastructure, all in a bid to eventually monetize the nascent technology.
Elsewhere, Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) reassured Wall Street with a smaller-than-expected drop in comparable sales, as the world's largest coffee chain attempts to revive sluggish demand.
Qorvo (NASDAQ:QRVO) gained premarket after the semiconductor company offered up an upbeat fourth-quarter outlook.
Crude slips lower
Oil prices slipped Wednesday after an uptick in US crude stockpiles weighed on prices, adding to global growth concerns already exacerbated by the possible impact of President Trump's sweeping tariff plans.
By 05:50 ET, the US crude futures (WTI) gained 1% to $73.06 per barrel, while the Brent contract added 1% to $75.75 a barrel.
US crude oil inventories grew by 2.86 million barrels last week, according to data from the industry body American Petroleum Institute, after nine straight weeks of draws, as cold weather pushed up demand for heating and travel activity rose during the year-end holidays.
The Energy Information Administration, the statistical arm of the U.S. Department of Energy, is due to release its weekly report later in the session.
