Stocks Mostly Up Pre-Bell Ahead of Fed Policy Decision, Key Tech Earnings

07:35 AM EDT, 10/28/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The main US stock measures were mostly pointing higher in Wednesday's premarket activity as traders await a key policy decision by the Federal Reserve and the latest financial results of two major technology companies. The S&P 500 edged up 0.1%, and the Nasdaq 100 added 0.4% before the opening bell, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.2%. The Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 closed Tuesday trading in the green for a second consecutive session, while the Dow was little changed. The Fed's monetary policy committee will announce its latest interest rate decision at 2 pm ET. Markets are currently pricing in a 91% probability that the Federal Open Market Committee will keep its benchmark lending rate unchanged, with the remaining odds in favor of a 25-basis-point hike, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh is expected to hold a press conference at 2:30 pm. Treasury yields were rising early Wednesday, with the two-year rate gaining 0.8 basis points to 4.75% and the 10-year rate up 1.6 basis points to 5.01%. Tech giants Microsoft (MSFT) and Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) are expected to release their quarterly earnings after the markets close, along with ServiceNow (NOW), T-Mobile US (TMUS), FedEx (FDX), eBay (EBAY) and Ford Motor (F). Tech-sector earnings growth eased to roughly three times year-earlier levels from about four times a week ago, Oppenheimer Asset Management said in a report earlier in the week. GE Vernova (GEV), Amphenol (APH), Phillips 66 (PSX), Vertiv (VRT), Boston Scientific (BSX), Biogen (BIIB), C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW), Brinker International (EAT) and Etsy (ETSY) post their results before the bell, among others. West Texas Intermediate crude oil inclined 1.7% to $101.54 a barrel, while Brent gained 0.9% to $114.88 a barrel. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants said Tuesday they launched a missile at Saudi Arabia's biggest oil refinery, although the Kingdom didn't immediately confirm the attack, CNBC reported. Wednesday's economic calendar also has the weekly mortgage applications bulletin, followed by the international trade in goods data for September and the weekly EIA domestic petroleum inventories report. Shares of Visa (V) were down 1.6% before the bell even though the payments giant reported stronger-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results. Robinhood Markets (HOOD) dropped 7.5% as the company's fiscal third-quarter earnings declined year over year and revenue missed market estimates. Spot gold declined 0.3% to $4,065 per troy ounce, while bitcoin ticked up 1% to $81,391.