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US stock futures were little changed on Wednesday morning as investors awaited minutes from the Fed’s September meeting.
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F) slipped below the flat line. Futures on the S&P 500 (ES=F) and the Nasdaq-100 (NQ=F) traded roughly flat after the two indexes notched record highs the day before.
Sentiment has turned more buoyant in markets this week as bullish earnings estimates have helped lift major indexes to all-time highs. But as Yahoo Finance’s Brian Sozzi pointed out on Tuesday, those records belie a highly concentrated market, where the index’s top three holdings (Nvidia (NVDA), Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT)) account for roughly a fifth of the S&P 500.
Factors that have weighed on markets this year could still pose impediments. Brent crude oil futures (BZ=F) remain above $100 per barrel amid the latest Houthi attacks in the Middle East. Bond yields retreated on Tuesday but are still hovering near multidecade highs.
On Wednesday, the Fed’s meeting minutes will provide clues as to whether the central bank’s rate hike in September represented a one-off or whether the Fed’s thinking indicates more rate hikes ahead. As of Tuesday, traders priced in roughly 20% odds of a rate hike at the Fed’s October meeting next week.
On the earnings docket, Levi Strauss & Co. (LEVI) and Applied Digital (APLD) report results.
LIVE 1 update
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Dollar holds losses as markets await Fed minutes, speakers
Reuters reports:
The US dollar remained lower on Wednesday after stress in European bond markets abated and as eyes turned to the release of Federal Reserve minutes and speeches by its policymakers for signals on a potential rate hike.
The euro surged by the most in seven weeks in the prior session as French bond yields slid after the frontrunner in next spring’s presidential election outlined plans to slash spending. The yen weakened even after a dovish Bank of Japan board member said she would support interest rate increases.
Later on Wednesday, the US central bank is due to release minutes of its September 15-16 policy meeting when it raised interest rates to contend with inflation. Comments from Fed policymakers have come across as less hawkish following lower-than-expected personal consumption expenditures (PCE) data and jobs data last week.
