Aniket PujariTraders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on March 14, 2025, at the opening bell.
Timothy A. Clary | Afp | Getty Images
Stock futures hovered near the flatline Tuesday night as the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision looms.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 10 points, or 0.02%. S&P 500 futures slipped 0.01%, while Nasdaq 100 futures were flat.
Investors are coming off of a rough Tuesday, which saw the recent market sell-off come back in full force after two winning sessions.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.6%, while the S&P 500 shed more than 1%. The broad market index ended the day off 8.6% from its February record close, and it’s now nearing correction territory. The Nasdaq Composite declined 1.7% as shares of technology darlings Tesla, Palantir and Nvidia each fell.
The major averages have been on a roller-coaster ride in recent weeks, as traders navigate soft economic data and uncertainty around President Donald Trump’s tariff policy. The S&P 500 officially entered correction territory last week and the Nasdaq still sits in a correction.
Investors are preparing for the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision due at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday – another possible catalyst for markets.
Though the Fed is widely expected to maintain a steady hand on interest rates, traders are keeping a close eye on the central bank’s outlook for the rate policy path. Policymakers will be sharing their quarterly updates on rates, gross domestic product, inflation and unemployment, and those insights arrive at a time when traders are shaky on what’s ahead for the U.S. economy and the impact on markets.
“Fed Chair Powell has repeatedly said that the risks to price stability and full employment are balanced,” said Scott Helfstein, Global X’s head of investment strategy. “That is likely still true, but risks to both are rising. This is not time to sell and go away, but perhaps time to review long-term strategy against near-term volatility.”
