US stock futures rose as investors digested reassuring signals from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell after the central bank held interest rates steady on Wednesday.
Futures attached to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F) ticked up 0.2%. Futures attached to the benchmark S&P 500 (ES=F) and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (NQ=F) rose 0.3%.
The Fed's decision to keep interest rates unchanged on Wednesday was expected on Wall Street, but markets rallied, driven by a sense of relief that prior forecasts for two rate cuts this year held up. Doubts had been rising about the path to rate cuts amid concerns the US economy might buckle under President Donald Trump's broad tariffs.
Powell contributed to the good mood. Although the central bank indicated it expects higher inflation and slower economic growth, the Fed chair reassured investors that inflation impacts from tariffs will likely be "transitory" and recession risks remain low. "The economy seems to be healthy," Powell said.
On Thursday, investors will get a fresh sense of the labor and housing markets with the release of data on jobless claims and existing housing sales.
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