U.S. equity futures were little changed on Tuesday evening ahead of a pivotal interest rate decision from the Federal Reserve that could mark the beginning of a new hiking cycle over the next few months.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 56 points, or 0.1%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq-100 futures were each up 0.1%.
In Asia, markets were mixed in early Wednesday trade. Japan's Nikkei 225 lost 0.17%, while the Topix added 0.55%. South Korea's Kospi was little changed, while the small-cap Kosdaq declined 0.69%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.24%.
Futures markets were pricing in a quarter-point hike for Wednesday with 92% odds, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Odds of an additional quarter-point hike were 45% for the Fed's October meeting and 30% for the Fed's December meeting. The current target rate range is 3.5% to 3.75%.
The central bank's decision on Wednesday comes amid pressure from the White House to leave rates where they are. Council of Economic Advisers chairman Christopher Phelan told CNBC on Tuesday that it would be a "mistake" for the Fed to raise rates.
"[It] doesn't make sense to raise rates now in my view," Phelan said, adding that "inflation data has been in the right direction."
The 12-month rate on the consumer price index came in at 3.4% in August, marking a cooling from the recent high of 4.2% in May. On a month-over-month basis, CPI rose 0.4% last month, in line with expectations, though core inflation, which removes the more volatile categories of food and energy, rose 0.3%, which was more than expected.
Crude oil prices rose Tuesday as Saudi Arabia reportedly cancelled some shipments following drone attacks on its key export pipeline. U.S. West Texas Intermediate increased 4.4% to $105.83 per barrel, its highest closing price since May 19. Brent crude futures rose 2.9% to settle at $108.75.
Treasury yields have been spiking on the expectation of higher prices in the economy, with the 10-year last slightly above 5% and the 30-year at 5.369%.
Amid the tense geopolitical backdrop, U.S. stocks took a dive on Tuesday, with the Dow Industrials dropping 0.63%, the S&P 500 falling 0.45%, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite losing 0.78%.
Semiconductors, cloud service providers, and other technology stocks were mostly down Tuesday following discussion over the weekend by the heads of large language model companies that they could potentially slow down the pace of product releases.
1 Hour AgoJapan's Nikkei 225 opens lower, South Korea's Kospi trades flat
Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed on Wednesday.
Japan's Nikkei 225 lost 0.17%, while the Topix added 0.55%. South Korea's Kospi was little changed, while the small-cap Kosdaq declined 0.69%.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.24%.
— Lee Ying Shan
2 Hours AgoAsia-Pacific markets set to rise ahead of pivotal Fed rate decision
Asia-Pacific markets were set to rise Wednesday as investors awaited a pivotal Federal Reserve interest rate decision with increasing expectations of a hike.
Japan's Nikkei 225 was poised to rise, with its Chicago and Osaka futures contracts last at 63,555 and 63,490 respectively, compared with the index's previous close of 63,484.1.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index futures were at 24,762, higher than the index's last close of 24,667.24.
Futures for Australia's S&P/ASX 200 last traded at 8,691 compared with the index's previous close of 8,672.5.
— Lee Ying Shan
3 Hours AgoCryptocurrencies slump after Clarity Act fails in the Senate
Cfoto | Future Publishing | Getty ImagesSome cryptocurrencies hit their lowest level since the middle of August on Tuesday.
Bitcoin reached a low of $74,936.78, according to Coin Metrics. It was the lowest level since Aug. 21 when it traded as low as $72,481.19. Solana hit a low of $95.784, the lowest level since Aug. 26 when it traded as low as $95.04.
The declines occurred as the Senate cloture vote on the Clarity Act failed on Tuesday afternoon. The legislation aimed to establish a regulatory framework for the crypto industry
Ether fell to $2,357.38, the lowest level since Sept. 2. The Global X FinTech ETF (FINX) dropped 3.44% for its worst day since June 5 when it fell by 5.16%.
-- Tobias Burns, Gina Francolla
3 Hours Ago30-year fixed mortgage rate now tops 7.2%
The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage is now 7.22%, according to Mortgage News Daily.
That's the highest rate since Jan. 14, 2025.
30-year fixed rate mortgage in 2026The jump in the 30-year fixed rate mortgage comes as the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield topped 5% and reached its highest level since 2007. Movement in the 30-year fixed mortgage rate is influenced by the 10-year Treasury yield.
—Gina Francolla, Darla Mercado
3 Hours AgoStock futures open flat on Tuesday night
U.S. stock futures opened little changed on Tuesday night in New York.
Futures tied to the S&P 500 were up 0.09%, while Nasdaq-100 futures gained 0.07%. Futures linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 41 points, or 0.08%.
--Darla Mercado
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