Wall Street analysts will be focused today on what Fed Chair Jerome Powell says about whether the central bank might slow down interest-rate rises at its next policy meeting in December.
Fed officials today are likely to raise their benchmark federal-funds rate by three-quarters of a percentage point, marking the fourth consecutive increase of that size. But some policymakers recently began signaling a desire to start reducing the size of increases after this one.
Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping firm, posted record profits for the latest quarter due to high ocean freight rates, but noted a slowdown in demand.
The Danish giant, widely seen as a barometer for global trade, reported earnings of $10.9 billion, up 60% from the same period a year ago and better than expected.
Futures are mixed after stocks closed modestly lower yesterday. The Dow Industrials fell 79, the Nasdaq lost 97 and the S&P 500 was down 15.
