US Stock Futures Muted Ahead of Fed Rate Decision; Asia Mixed, Europe Off

07:31 AM EDT, 06/18/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Wall Street futures pointed largely sideways pre-bell Wednesday, as traders mulled Middle East tensions and awaited fresh clues from the nation's central bank.

In the futures, the S&P 500, the Nasdaq and the Dow Jones all hewed close to Tuesday's closes.

The Federal Reserve at 2 pm ET will announce changes in monetary policy, although none are expected.

However, Fed Chief Jerome Powell's 2:30 pm ET press conference will be monitored by markets, while the central bank's quarterly "dot plot" of interest-rate expectations will also be scrutinized.

US stock and bond markets close Thursday for the Juneteenth holiday.

Asian exchanges traded unevenly overnight, while European bourses were moderately lower midday on the continent.

Korn Ferry (KFY) shares traded up 3.8% pre-bell after the job placement giant reported fiscal Q4 earnings and revenues above Street views, and issued solid guidance, in morning hours.

On the economic calendar is the housing starts and permits report for May, along with the weekly jobless claims bulletin, at 8:30 am ET.

The weekly EIA petroleum status report posts at 10:30 am, followed by the weekly EIA natural gas report at 12 pm.

In premarket action, Bitcoin traded at $104,545, West Texas Intermediate crude oil traded higher at $73.52, and 10-year US Treasuries offered 4.37%. Spot gold traded for $3,377 an ounce.

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