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Stock futures fell slightly Tuesday as investors prepared for the Federal Reserve’s May policy meeting to kick off.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials descended 56 points, or 0.2%, at 34,096.
Futures for the S&P 500 dropped 5.75 points, or 0.1%, to 4,180.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite lost 3.75 points to 13,303.
The Fed’s two-day policy meeting is expected to conclude with the central bank announcing another 25 basis-point rate hike. Per the CME Group’s FedWatch tool, traders are pricing in 97% chance of a rate hike. Investors will be looking for clues on whether the Fed will keep rates steady after this meeting, or if it will further tighten monetary policy to fight inflation.
Investors were focused on the bank sector following the announcement that JPMorgan Chase won the weekend auction for troubled First Republic Bank. As part of the agreement, JPMorgan acquired all of the regional bank’s deposits and a “substantial majority of assets.” CEO Jamie Dimon said the deal should help end part of the industry crisis, which was initially prompted by the closure of Silicon Valley Bank in March.
Weighing on sentiment was word from Treasury that the country may hit the debt ceiling sooner than expected. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that the U.S. may run out of measures to pay its debts as early as June 1, earlier than the late July deadline Goldman was estimating.
Wall Street will also watch for data on job openings, factory orders and light vehicle sales on the economic front.
The earnings season rolled on, with Uber and Pfizer reporting better-than-expected results. Uber shares popped nearly 7%, while Pfizer advanced more than 1%. Ford, Starbucks, Advanced Micro Devices and Caesars Entertainment are set to report after the bell.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 muscled ahead 0.1% Tuesday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng resumed trading with a gain of 0.2%..
Oil prices slipped 22 cents to $75.44 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices tacked on five dollars to $1,997.20 U.S. an ounce.
