US equity futures were mixed on Wednesday night (Thursday AEDT) as investors weighed a fresh batch of major technology earnings alongside the Federal Reserve’s latest interest rate decision.
By 10:40 am AEDT (11:40 pm GMT), Dow futures were down 0.2%, S&P 500 futures were little changed, and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.2%.
In extended trading, Meta Platforms jumped 7.7% after the Facebook parent issued a stronger-than-expected sales forecast for the first quarter.
Tesla shares gained 1.1% after the electric vehicle maker’s fourth-quarter results topped expectations.
Microsoft, however, slid 6.7% as investors focused on slower cloud growth in its fiscal second quarter and higher-than-expected capital expenditures and finance leases.
Southwest Airlines rose about 5.9% after forecasting a sharp rise in profits in 2026 following changes to its business model. The carrier said it expects to earn at least an adjusted $4 per share in 2026, above the $3.19 analysts had anticipated, according to LSEG data.
Levi Strauss added 2.3% after the apparel group reported fourth-quarter earnings and revenue that exceeded forecasts.
International Business Machines advanced more than 7.6% in extended trade. IBM reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of $4.52 per share on revenue of $19.69 billion, beating expectations of $4.32 per share on $19.23 billion in revenue.
In regular trading on Wednesday, the S&P 500 briefly crossed the 7,000 level for the first time but finished little changed after the Fed kept its benchmark interest rate in a range of 3.5% to 3.75%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average added just 12 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained about 0.2%, helped by strength in Nvidia and Micron Technology.
In its post-meeting statement, the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee said indicators suggest that “economic activity has been expanding at a solid pace” and that the unemployment rate “has shown some signs of stabilisation”.
Despite the steady policy stance, fed funds futures markets continue to price in two quarter-point rate cuts by the end of 2026, according to the CME Group FedWatch Tool.
Investors are now awaiting Apple’s fiscal first-quarter earnings report, due after the close on Thursday (Friday AEDT). Mastercard, Caterpillar and Lockheed Martin are also scheduled to release results.
On the economic calendar, traders will monitor weekly jobless claims, durable goods orders and wholesale inventories, which could offer further insight into the strength of the U.S. economy and the outlook for monetary policy.
