Major U.S. indexes were mixed on Wednesday ahead of a decision by the Federal Reserve on interest rates.
On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed out April down 570 points, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 down 1.6 percent and 2% respectively, marking the worst month of the year so far for equities. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 ticked down Wednesday while the Dow was slightly up.
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Investors are anticipating an interest-rate decision from the Fed later on Wednesday, following a two-day policy meeting, and Chairman Jerome Powell's press conference immediately after the rate announcement.
News that economic growth had slowed last quarter could put any hope that the Fed would cut interest rates to bed anytime soon, but investors will also be watching out for any clues on what lies ahead for the central bank's rate path.
The rate has been held at 5.5 percent since July 2023, the highest level since early 2001, and one of the longest stretches without a rate change on record.
Inflation currently stands at 3.5 percent, above the Fed's target of two percent.
Investors also have plenty of earnings reports to keep them busy this week. Amazon shares were up more than three percent Wednesday, a day after the company reported a quarterly sales surge powered by investments in artificial intelligence technology.
"There is a very large opportunity in front of us," said CEO Andy Jassy on the earnings call.
Several more high-profile brands were set to publish their quarterly earnings on Wednesday.
Pfizer shares were up Wednesday morning after better-than-expected earnings, extending gains from Tuesday on news that Tidvak, a drug for treating cervical cancer, was awarded full approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Positive results from a phase III clinical trial showed that Tidvak provided a 30 percent risk of death reduction when compared to chemotherapy. The trial involved 502 patients.
The clinical trials report also noted that Tidvak is predicted to make $744m in sales by 2029.
Chris Boshoff, chief oncology officer at Pfizer said in a press release that, "Full approval by the FDA reinforces the important role of Tidvak for these patients, as the first antibody-drug conjugate with statistically significant prolonged overall survival data."
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Mastercard, CVS, Marriott, Estee Lauder, The Kraft Heinz Company, and Yum! Brands—parent of KFC and Pizza Hut—all released earnings reports before the bell.
Health services company CVS saw shares plummet more than 19 percent early Wednesday after it missed Q1 targets and lowered its outlook for the year.
Yum! also saw a share-price dip after the fast-food brand reported a decline in sales, dragged down by consumers spending less at Pizza Hut and KFC. Taco Bell, also owned by Yum!, saw a one percent increase in sales.
Food delivery company DoorDash is expected to publish its earnings after the bell today.
Looking ahead, big names to watch this week include tech titan Apple, pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, Shell and Moderna.
Like Amazon, Apple has recently been fortifying its AI capabilities. Multiple reports suggest that it has been targeting rival Google's employees, in particular.
The company has also expanded into Zurich, establishing it's "Vision Lab" in the Swiss city.
In February at the company's annual shareholder meeting, Apple CEO Tim Cook promised investors that "Apple will break new ground" in the AI field in 2024.
Earnings Highlights To Watch This Week
- Thursday: Apple, pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, Shell, Moderna
- Friday: Berkshire Hathaway, AMC
In other stock market news, former President Donald Trump's company Trump Media & Technology Group saw shares drop nearly 10 percent early Wednesday, wiping out gains from Tuesday. The stock, using the ticker symbol DJT, is up more than 44 percent over the past week, and on Tuesday the company behind Truth Social revealed that Trump had received his $1.8 billion stock-grand windfall.
Update, 5/1/24, 11:04 a.m. ET: This article was updated to reflect recent stock market developments.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Joe Edwards is a Live News Reporter in Newsweek's London bureau.
