U.S. stock index futures traded mixed on Wednesday as investors await a policy decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve.
At 03:00 a.m. ET, Dow futures traded 12 points higher, pointing a fairly flat open. Futures in S&P 500 and Nasdaq were trading mixed.
Market focus is largely attuned to global trade developments, amid media reports of U.S. concerns that China is pushing back against American demands in trade talks.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin both plan to travel to Beijing next week for another round of negotiations with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed Trump administration officials.
The world’s two largest economies have imposed tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of one another’s goods over the past year, battering financial markets and souring business and consumer sentiment.
Meanwhile, the U.S. central bank is widely expected to keep rates steady later in the session, with investors monitoring a decision on the Fed’s rate projections for the next few years.
In Asia, MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares, excluding Japan, dipped 0.4 percent.
No economic data are expected on Wednesday, however, on the earnings front, General Mills is set to report its results before the bell and Williams-Sonoma will report after the bell.
