U.S. stock futures edged higher on Wednesday evening, extending gains after Wall Street’s sharp rebound driven by technology shares, as investors awaited remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Markets seemed to temporarily set aside economic and political risks, focusing instead on hopes for monetary easing. Minutes from the Fed’s September meeting released earlier showed that many policymakers favored additional rate cuts in the near future.
However, the policy outlook remains uncertain as Fed officials have yet to reach consensus on how much further to lower rates. Powell is scheduled to speak at 8:30 a.m. ET (12:30 GMT), and traders are closely watching for clues on the Fed’s next steps. In futures trading, S&P 500 contracts rose about 0.1% to 6,806.75, Nasdaq-100 futures gained roughly 0.2% to 25,370.75, and Dow Jones 30 futures were up 0.1% at around 46,895.
Tech stocks continued to lead the market’s strength. NVIDIA shares climbed more than 2% after its CEO reaffirmed strong demand for AI computing and hinted at new investments in the xAI project. Meanwhile, the upcoming third-quarter earnings season is drawing attention. Major firms such as PepsiCo and Delta are expected to report results on Thursday, followed by financial giants and chipmakers like ASML in the coming days.
Still, several headwinds remain. The U.S. government is currently in a partial shutdown, delaying key economic data releases. Political uncertainty in the U.S., financial concerns in Japan, and the government crisis in France are also weighing on investor sentiment. Overall, the evening session showed futures gaining on the back of tech momentum and hopes for monetary easing, though risks persist if Powell’s speech fails to provide clearer guidance.
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