U.S. stock futures fell Wednesday night as investors reacted to rising gold prices. Traders also weighed earnings reports from major tech firms, namely Meta (META), Microsoft (MSFT), and Tesla (TSLA), along with the Federal Reserve’s latest rate decision. Futures on the Nasdaq 100 (NDX), the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), and the S&P 500 (SPX) Index were down 0.10%, 0.03%, and 0.18%, respectively, at 8:30 p.m. EDT on January 28.
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Spot gold jumped past $5,500 in overnight trading, hitting new highs as the U.S. dollar continues to weaken.
In after-hours trading, Meta rose 7% after the Facebook parent issued a stronger-than-expected sales outlook for the first quarter. In contrast, Microsoft shares slid 6% after slower cloud growth in the fiscal second quarter and softer margin guidance for the current quarter. Tesla edged up 1% after its fourth-quarter results topped expectations.
In Wednesday’s regular session, the S&P 500 briefly crossed the 7,000 mark but finished little changed after the Fed left interest rates unchanged at 3.5% to 3.75%. The Dow added just 12 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained about 0.2%, helped by gains in Nvidia (NVDA) and Micron Technology (MU).
Looking ahead, investors are waiting for Apple’s (AAPL) fiscal first-quarter earnings on Thursday after the close. Mastercard (MA), Caterpillar (CAT), and Lockheed Martin (LMT) are also due to report.
On the data front, markets will focus on weekly jobless claims, durable goods orders, and wholesale inventories.