Investors react to the Federal Reserve's policy decision and Chairman Jerome Powell's press conference, as well as results from Meta, Microsoft and Tesla.

The Nasdaq and other major indices declined following the Federal Reserve’s first meeting of the year, with the tech-heavy index falling 1.1% by the afternoon as investors digested the central bank’s cautious stance on interest rates.

Major U.S. stock averages lost ground Wednesday afternoon, mostly remaining in the red after the Federal Reserve paused its run of interest rate cuts while pointing to a stall in inflation progress. The Fed's widely expected decision arrived before Big Tech companies start rolling out their quarterly reports late Wednesday.

Futures tied to the Nasdaq gained on Wednesday as semiconductor-related stocks rose after chip equipment maker ASML's quarterly orders topped estimates, with focus also on a raft of company results and the Federal Reserve's rate verdict later in the day.

U.S. stocks slipped after the Federal Reserve held its main interest rate steady and broke a run of cuts that began in September

U.S. stocks ended higher on Tuesday, with Nvidia and other artificial intelligence-linked technology shares recovering from sharp losses the previous day as investors snapped up bargains. The Nasdaq jumped 2% and AI chip leader Nvidia rose 8.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq fell sharply on Monday, led by Nvidia and other chipmakers as popularity of a low-cost Chinese artificial intelligence model raised investor worries about the outlooks for current AI leaders in the United States.

Major averages drift lower on Wednesday, as investors turned their focus to the upcoming interest rate decision, and big tech earnings slated for later in the day. Early on and the S&P 500 (SP500) was -0.

Stock market today: Nasdaq, S&P 500 futures rise, Dow steady as Big Tech earnings take center stage US stock futures inched higher on Thursday, eyeing a comeback as investors digested earnings from a trio of megacap techs and waited for Apple ( AAPL) results for more clues to the prospects for Big Tech.

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