Major Technology Earnings, Fed Policy in Focus as US Equity Futures Waver Pre-Bell

08:23 AM EST, 01/29/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures were little changed pre-bell Thursday as traders digested major earnings from the technology sector and Wednesday's Federal Reserve policy decision.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.1% higher, S&P 500 futures were up 0.2%, and Nasdaq futures were 0.1% higher.

The Federal Open Market Committee on Wednesday held the target rate for federal funds at 3.5% to 3.75%, in line with expectations.

Microsoft (MSFT) reported late Wednesday higher fiscal Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue, while Meta Platforms (META) also posted stronger Q4 earnings and revenue. Microsoft (MSFT) shares were down 7% and Meta shares were up 9% in premarket activity.

Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 2.6% at $69.14 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 2.9% higher at $65.00 per barrel.

The weekly jobless claims bulletin, scheduled for release at 8:30 am ET, is expected to show new unemployment claims of 205,000 in the week ended Jan. 23 versus 200,000 in the preceding week, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The US trade deficit is expected to have widened to $44.0 billion in November from $29.4 billion in the prior month.

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