U.S. equity futures were mixed on Wednesday as investors prepared for a session dominated by monetary policy and major technology earnings. The Federal Reserve’s rate announcement and results from Microsoft and Alphabet are set to shape sentiment across growth stocks and the broader market.
At 4:25 p.m. (Bangkok Time), Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 0.18%. S&P 500 futures were 0.1% higher, while Nasdaq-100 futures advanced 0.38%, reflecting firmer demand for technology-linked exposure.
The premarket moves followed gains for the main U.S. benchmarks in Tuesday’s regular session. Semiconductor shares extended their advance after Broadcom disclosed that banks would provide $63 billion in financing for purchases of its chips and networking products, which would be leased to Anthropic, the developer of Claude. Broadcom gained 4%, Advanced Micro Devices added 5.5%, and Micron Technology rose 2.8%.
A retreat in crude prices also helped equities on Tuesday. Oil declined after reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei met senior security official Mohsen Rezaei to review terms for ending the war with the U.S.
The Federal Reserve is due to release its interest rate decision at 2 p.m. (Eastern Time). Markets expect no change in rates despite persistent inflation pressure, with investors focused on Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh’s news conference for any indication of a more restrictive policy stance.
After the close, Microsoft and Alphabet will report earnings, giving investors fresh detail on artificial intelligence demand and capital spending plans. Microsoft’s update follows its offer of buyouts to as many as 60,000 employees as it works to simplify operations during its AI expansion.
Ford, T-Mobile US, and eBay are also scheduled to report results.
