Stocks Hold Steady, Yields Decline As Fed Meeting Looms: What’s Driving Markets Wednesday?

Midway through the trading day on Wall Street, calm reigns supreme as investors eagerly await the Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is scheduled to publish its policy statement at 2 p.m. ET, followed by Chair Jerome Powell‘s address at 2:30 p.m.

While it is widely anticipated that the Federal Reserve will maintain its fed funds target range steady at 5.25%-5.5%, there is growing anticipation surrounding the release of new economic projections.

Market participants are particularly focused on the”‘dot plot,” which can shed light on the preferred interest rate trajectory within the Fed board. This information will help gauge whether the central bank’s policies will align with or deviate from the current market expectation of five rate cuts by 2024.

As of noon in New York, U.S. major indices traded relatively flat. The U.S. dollar, as tracked by the Invesco DB USD Bullish Fund ETF (NYSE:UUP), remained stable, while Treasury yields dipped by approximately 5 basis points across various maturities, with the 10-year yield standing at 4.17%.

The iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (NASDAQ:TLT) gained 0.9%, gold inched up by 0.2%, and Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) surged by 1%.

Crude oil prices rose by 1.2%, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) trading around $70 per barrel. This increase comes as a sigh of relief after COP 28 provided signals that were less severe than expected in terms of reducing fossil fuel consumption.

Wednesday Performance In Major US Indices, ETFs

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) was 0.1% higher to $464.50, the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (NYSE:DIA) was flat at $366.44 and the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) was 0.2% higher to $399.52, according to Benzinga Pro data.

Sector-wise, utilities outperformed, with the Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLU) soaring 1%. Materials were the laggard, with the Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLB) down 0.9%.

Among industries, biotech stocks, as tracked by the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (NYSE:XBI), rose 1.7%. Airlines lagged behind, with the U.S. Global JETS ETF (NYSE:JETS) down 2.2%.