U.S. futures are mixed in Wednesday’s pre-market ahead of the Federal Reserve announcement, with expectations focused on interest rate maintenance and future monetary policy guidance by Jerome Powell. Meanwhile, Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) are experiencing declines following mixed results.
As of 05:37 AM, Dow Jones futures (DOWI:DJI) rose by 25 points, or 0.06%. S&P 500 futures fell by 0.54%, and Nasdaq-100 futures retreated by 1.22%. The yield on 10-year Treasury bonds was at 4.024%.
In the commodities market, West Texas Intermediate crude for March fell by 1.30% to $76.81 per barrel. Brent crude for March dropped by 1.16% to around $81.91 per barrel. Iron ore with a 62% concentration, traded on the Dalian exchange, fell by 3.08% to $135.42 per metric ton.
Today’s U.S. economic agenda starts at 08:15 AM with the ADP report on private sector job creation in January, followed by the Q4 Employment Cost Index. The Chicago PMI for January will be released at 09:45 AM, and oil inventories up to January 26th will be announced at 10:30 AM. The day concludes at 2:00 PM with the Fed’s interest rate decision and Jerome Powell’s press conference. The Fed is expected to maintain the interest rate range between 5.25% and 5.5%.
On Wednesday, Asian markets showed mixed results, affected by negative Chinese manufacturing indicators and cautious expectations regarding the Fed’s interest rate decision. Notable declines were observed in Shanghai (-1.48%) and Hong Kong (-1.39%), while Tokyo (+0.61%) and Australia (+1.06%) posted gains.
European markets are showing varied performance as global investors anticipate the Fed’s new monetary policy decision and analyze corporate financial results. Noteworthy are the financial statements released by pharmaceutical companies Novo Nordisk and Novartis, Santander bank, and H&M retail chain before the market opens.
U.S. stock indices had a mixed performance on Tuesday, with the Dow reaching a new record high and the Nasdaq falling due to profit-taking in the tech sector, in anticipation of results from major companies like Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT). The uncertainty ahead of the Federal Reserve announcement also influenced the market. Meanwhile, economic data showed an unexpected increase in job openings and an improvement in consumer confidence.
In the lead-up to Wednesday’s quarterly earnings, scheduled to present financial reports are Boeing (NYSE:BA), Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO), Mastercard (NYSE:MA), Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX), Roper Technologies (NYSE:ROP), Thermo Fisher (NYSE:TMO), Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ), Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX), among others, before the market opens.
After the close, earnings from Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), Corteva (NYSE:CTVA), Align Technologies (NASDAQ:ALGN), MetLife (NYSE:MET), Wolfspeed (NYSE:WOLF), AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB), Century Communities (NYSE:CCS), and more will be awaited.