US stock futures were mixed Wednesday night as investors evaluated the Federal Reserve’s latest rate cut, which helped fuel a late-day rally on Wall Street.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) edged up roughly 0.1%. But S&P 500 (ES=F) and Nasdaq 100 futures (NQ=F) crept down around 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively, amid a slide from AI player Oracle (ORCL).
In extended trading, Oracle plunged more than 10% after the software giant reported quarterly revenue that fell short of expectations, raising fresh concerns about cloud-infrastructure demand and dealing a slight blow to the bullish mood that had gripped Wall Street earlier.
The broader market finished higher Wednesday after a split Fed voted to cut interest rates for the third time this year, lowering the federal funds target range to 3.5%–3.75%. Policymakers also signaled a more gradual path of easing in the months ahead, but Chair Jerome Powell also hinted that a rate hike would be off the table while broadly talking up the US economy’s strength.
Powell said officials are “well positioned to wait and see” how economic conditions evolve, adding that tariffs imposed under President Trump have contributed to inflation pressures.
Earnings reports continue this week with Broadcom (AVGO), Costco (COST) and Lululemon (LULU) all releasing on Thursday, rounding out an unpredictable season for AI and retail traders. In other earnings moves after the bell Wednesday, Synopsys (SNPS) — boosted earlier this month by a $2 billion strategic investment from Nvidia (NVDA) — spiked as much as 8% after delivering strong fourth-quarter results.
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