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U.S. equity futures are pointing to a slightly lower open on Wednesday as investors wait for the latest interest rate decision and statement from the Federal Reserve.
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The major futures indexes are indicating a decline of 0.1 percent when Wall Street trading begins.
Federal Reserve officials will conclude their final two-day policy meeting of the year Wednesday.
Officials are expected to decide to hold steady on interest rates after lowering their benchmark ate three times since July to try to cushion the U.S. economy against a slowdown in global growth.
A similar decision is expected Thursday from the European Central Bank. Both are expected to affirm a commitment to low rates to support economic growth.
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Markets in Asia were mostly higher following reports President Trump’s advisers were preparing for a possible delay in a weekend tariff hike on Chinese goods.
Investors were counting on Trump to postpone Sunday’s duty increase on $160 billion of Chinese imports. But with no official action, Wall Street fell for a second day Tuesday.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I:DJI | DOW JONES AVERAGES | 27881.72 | -27.88 | -0.10% |
| SP500 | S&P 500 | 3132.52 | -3.44 | -0.11% |
| I:COMP | NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX | 8616.183466 | -5.64 | -0.07% |
In Asia, the Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.2 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng advanced 0.8 percent and Tokyo’s Nikkei shed less than 0.1 percent.
London’s FTSE gained 0.4 percent, Frankfurt’s DAX added 0.5 percent and France’s CAC gained 0.1 percent.
Elsewhere, markets are watching Britain’s parliamentary election Thursday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the election two years before it was required in hopes of a gaining a majority in the House of Commons to support his plan to leave the European Union by the end of January whether or not the two sides have negotiated details of their future relations.
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On Thursday, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the White House announced a revised trade deal with Mexico and Canada. The deal would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement and would offer more provisions for U.S. workers.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
