US open: Stocks higher ahead of Fed decision, tech earnings

(Sharecast News) - Major indices were in the green at the opening bell on Wednesday as investors patiently awaited the outcome of the Federal Reserve's two-day monetary policy meeting.

As of 1455 GMT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.13% at 49,068.22, while the S&P 500 jumped 0.23% to 6,994.55, and the Nasdaq Composite came out of the gate 0.45% higher at 23,923.97.

The Dow opened 64.81 points higher on Wednesday, reclaiming some of the previous session's heavy losses.

Wednesday's primary focus will undoubtedly be the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee's interest rate decision at 1900 GMT, with economists expecting to see the central bank hold overnight interest rates steady at 3.% to 3.75%.

However, traders will also be looking for any hints on longer-term changes to monetary policy, with Fed funds futures trading suggesting two quarter percentage point cuts by the end of 2026.

The US dollar was also drawing an amount of attention after te US dollar index fell to its lowest level since February 2022 after Donald Trump, who, when asked about recent weakness in the greenback, said "dollar's doing great", something that Trade Nation's David Morrison said could be interpreted as being "akin to malign neglect", which could "set the stage for an unstoppable slide".

Elsewhere on the macro front, US mortgage applications fell by 8.5% in the week ended 23 January, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, trimming the combined 47% surge since the start of 2026. Applications to refinance a mortgage, which are sensitive to short-term changes in interest rates, fell by 16%, while applications to purchase a new home were broadly flat.

In the corporate space, AT&T posted strong Q4 and FY results, saying it met or exceeded all of its 2025 financial guidance as the group delivered its best year for consumer broadband subscriber growth in a decade, while Starbucks traded higher despite a slump in quarterly earnings, after the coffee shop giant posted a long-awaited uptick in sales.

Still to come, Microsoft, Meta, Tesla and IBM will publish their latest quarterly results after the close.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com

Dow Jones - Risers

Intel Corp. (INTC) $48.58 10.59%

Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $287.95 1.86%

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $228.13 1.64%

Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $39.74 1.06%

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $644.34 0.85%

Visa Inc. (V) $327.20 0.59%

Chevron Corp. (CVX) $170.03 0.58%

Salesforce.Com Inc. (CRM) $229.33 0.35%

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) $932.91 0.34%

American Express Co. (AXP) $360.38 0.26%

Dow Jones - Fallers

Boeing Co. (BA) $238.47 -2.49%

Apple Inc. (AAPL) $256.15 -0.82%

Amgen Inc. (AMGN) $349.70 -0.46%

Home Depot Inc. (HD) $378.99 -0.36%

Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) $78.46 -0.28%

Coca-Cola Co. (KO) $73.35 -0.27%

JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) $299.72 -0.20%

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) $479.78 -0.17%

McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $313.83 -0.10%

Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $107.89 -0.03%

S&P 500 - Risers

Seagate Technology Plc (STX) $435.20 17.07%

Intel Corp. (INTC) $48.58 10.59%

F5 Inc. (FFIV) $298.48 10.37%

Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $277.23 9.73%

Texas Instruments Inc (TXN) $210.97 7.29%

Microchip Technology Inc. (MCHP) $80.22 6.73%

Micron Technology Inc. (MU) $429.12 4.60%

Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) $100.07 4.54%

PPG Industries Inc. (PPG) $114.06 3.42%

Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) $314.19 3.41%

S&P 500 - Fallers

Amphenol Corp. (APH) $142.33 -14.39%

VF Corp. (VFC) $18.83 -7.13%

Skyworks Solutions Inc. (SWKS) $56.03 -6.69%

Textron Inc. (TXT) $88.47 -6.11%

Gen Dynamics Corp. (GD) $349.13 -4.77%

Albemarle Corp. (ALB) $188.28 -3.04%

Boeing Co. (BA) $238.47 -2.49%

Paychex Inc. (PAYX) $102.50 -2.33%

Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) $1,018.84 -1.99%

Incyte Corp. (INCY) $101.56 -1.84%

Nasdaq 100 - Risers

Seagate Technology Plc (STX) $435.20 17.07%

Intel Corp. (INTC) $48.58 10.59%

Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $277.23 9.73%

Texas Instruments Inc (TXN) $210.97 7.29%

Microchip Technology Inc. (MCHP) $80.22 6.73%

Micron Technology Inc. (MU) $429.12 4.60%

Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) $100.07 4.54%

Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) $314.19 3.41%

PACCAR Inc. (PCAR) $124.18 2.79%

NetEase Inc. Ads (NTES) $135.26 2.58%

Nasdaq 100 - Fallers

Skyworks Solutions Inc. (SWKS) $56.03 -6.69%

Paychex Inc. (PAYX) $102.50 -2.33%

Incyte Corp. (INCY) $101.56 -1.84%

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (REGN) $760.00 -1.46%

Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP) $251.26 -1.28%

Biogen Inc (BIIB) $172.02 -1.20%

Paypal Holdings Inc (PYPL) $54.85 -1.19%

Idexx Laboratories Inc. (IDXX) $686.78 -1.15%

DENTSPLY Sirona Inc. (XRAY) $12.63 -1.10%

Apple Inc. (AAPL) $256.15 -0.82%