Source: Sharecast
As of 1445 BST, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.01% at 44,629.55, while the S&P 500 was up 0.12% at 6,378.66, and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.20% to 21,141.13.
The Dow opened just 3.44 points lower on Wednesday, barely extending losses recorded in the previous session as investors digested a mixed bag of quarterly earnings reports from a number of America's biggest firms.
The Federal Reserve's interest rate announcement at 1900 BST and ensuing press conference at 1930 BST will likely be today's primary focus, with Fed funds futures pricing in almost 98% chance that the central bank will keep its key rate in a range between 4.25% to 4.5%.
Corporate earnings will also draw an amount of attention on Wednesday, with Etsy reporting Q2 revenues that came in ahead of expectations, boosted by strong demand for handcrafted goods and personalised gifts.
Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Ford and Robinhood were all set to report their latest quarterly numbers after the close.
On the macro front, US mortgage applications decreased in the week ended 25 July, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association of America, extending the prior week's 10% dive, as mortgage applications registered a 3.8% decline despite a drop in benchmark mortgage rates. Applications to refinance a mortgage, which are more sensitive to short-term changes in interest rates, fell by 1% week-on-week to their lowest since May, while applications to purchase a home declined a sharper 6%.
Elsewhere, private sector employment in the US rose more than expected in July, according to figures released on Wednesday by ADP. Employment rose by 140,000 from June, versus expectations for a 78,000 increase. Meanwhile, the June figure was revised to show that 23,000 jobs were shed, rather than 33,000.
On another note, the United States economy expanded significantly more than expected in the second quarter, according to preliminary estimates from the Bureau of Economic Analysis on Wednesday, bouncing back after the first annualised decline in GDP in three years. US GDP increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.0% during the April to June period, well ahead of the 2.5% expansion expected by economists. That followed a 0.5% economic contraction in the first quarter after a historic jump in imports – as companies front-loaded purchases ahead of the launch of Donald Trump's trade war in April – weighed heavily on output figures. This was the first annual drop in GDP since the first quarter of 2022.
Still to come, June pending home sales numbers will be published at 1500 BST.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
Dow Jones - Risers
Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $259.74 1.93%
Coca-Cola Co. (KO) $69.39 1.89%
McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $302.64 1.15%
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) $731.99 1.15%
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $168.03 1.14%
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $42.72 0.83%
Amgen Inc. (AMGN) $303.56 0.75%
Walmart Inc. (WMT) $98.32 0.74%
Chevron Corp. (CVX) $157.03 0.48%
Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) $67.96 0.06%
Dow Jones - Fallers
Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $261.07 -7.46%
Boeing Co. (BA) $226.08 -4.37%
Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) $25.22 -2.06%
Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $82.63 -1.70%
Intel Corp. (INTC) $20.41 -1.31%
Apple Inc. (AAPL) $211.27 -1.30%
Visa Inc. (V) $351.29 -1.18%
Nike Inc. (NKE) $78.33 -1.15%
Salesforce.Com Inc. (CRM) $267.39 -1.06%
American Express Co. (AXP) $308.52 -0.71%
S&P 500 - Risers
Corning Inc. (GLW) $62.08 11.86%
Incyte Corp. (INCY) $77.38 10.28%
Cadence Design Systems Inc. (CDNS) $366.26 9.74%
CBRE Group Inc (CBRE) $157.95 7.84%
Synopsys Inc. (SNPS) $635.81 7.29%
Globe Life Inc. (GL) $143.23 6.79%
Universal Health Services Inc. (UHS) $162.93 5.08%
Welltower Inc (WELL) $166.03 4.85%
Cincinnati Financial Corp. (CINF) $152.42 3.62%
Waste Management Inc. (WM) $235.43 3.36%
S&P 500 - Fallers
Whirlpool Corp. (WHR) $84.76 -13.43%
United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) $90.90 -10.57%
VeriSign Inc. (VRSN) $277.47 -9.32%
Kohls Corp. (KSS) $11.69 -8.89%
Paypal Holdings Inc (PYPL) $71.45 -8.66%
National Oilwell Varco Inc. (NOV) $13.03 -7.98%
Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $261.07 -7.46%
Johnson Controls International plc (JCI) $103.40 -7.42%
Stanley Black & Decker Inc. (SWK) $68.64 -7.20%
Gallagher Arthur J (AJG) $288.02 -6.72%
Nasdaq 100 - Risers
Incyte Corp. (INCY) $77.38 10.28%
Cadence Design Systems Inc. (CDNS) $366.26 9.74%
Synopsys Inc. (SNPS) $635.81 7.29%
Qvc Group Inc Series A (QVCGA) $4.16 7.22%
Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $70.61 2.36%
Monster Beverage Corp (MNST) $61.39 1.96%
Fiserv Inc. (FI) $142.22 1.83%
Alphabet Inc. Class A (GOOGL) $195.75 1.65%
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) $468.41 1.64%
O'Reilly Automotive Inc. (ORLY) $98.90 1.61%
Nasdaq 100 - Fallers
Paypal Holdings Inc (PYPL) $71.45 -8.66%
Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) $280.68 -5.90%
JD.com, Inc. (JD) $32.22 -3.01%
Baidu Inc. (BIDU) $86.80 -2.91%
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) $147.79 -2.76%
Meta Platforms Inc. (META) $700.00 -2.46%
Expedia Group Inc. (EXPE) $182.81 -2.32%
Liberty Global plc Series A (LBTYA) $9.84 -2.19%
Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) $32.83 -2.09%
Liberty Global plc Series C (LBTYK) $10.13 -1.75%