US Stocks Steady Ahead of Fed Decision 10/28 09:39

   U.S. stocks are drifting Wednesday as the countdown ticks toward this 
afternoon's announcement from the Federal Reserve on what it will do with 
interest rates.

   NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S. stocks are drifting Wednesday as the countdown ticks 
toward this afternoon's announcement from the Federal Reserve on what it will 
do with interest rates.

   The S&P 500 rose 0.1% and pulled within 1.1% of its all-time high, which was 
set earlier this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 144 points, or 
0.3%, as of 10:15 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was down by less 
than 0.1%.

   The day's highlight will likely be what the Federal Reserve says, if 
anything, about where interest rates are heading. The Fed raised its main 
interest rate last month for the first time in three years in hopes of slowing 
the high inflation that's squeezing the economy and discouraging Americans.

   The widespread expectation on Wall Street is that the Fed will leave the 
federal funds rate alone at this meeting, and the question is whether it will 
give hints about what may happen at later meetings. Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh, 
though, has been adamant since taking over the Fed about wanting it to give 
fewer indications about its future moves.

   Wall Street cares so much about interest rates because they are one of the 
main levers that set prices for stocks. The other big variable is how much 
profit companies are making, and several companies rallied Wednesday after 
joining the list of those beating analysts' expectations for the summer.

   GE HealthCare Technologies jumped 7.8% after delivering both profit and 
revenue for the summer that surpassed analysts' expectations. It also raised 
its forecasts for revenue growth and other financial measures for the full year.

   Etsy climbed 4.9% after its profit for the latest quarter blew past 
analysts' forecasts. CEO Kruti Patel Goyal said the online marketplace saw 
growth in active buyers from prior-year levels for the first time in two years, 
while its active seller base grew at its fastest rate in two years.

   Stocks in the artificial-intelligence industry were also relatively solid. 
They've stabilized this week following big swings on worries that high 
borrowing costs caused by high interest rates will undercut the boom in AI data 
centers largely built with borrowed money.

   AI stocks got an additional boost after a major player in the industry, 
South Korea's SK Hynix, soared 10.9% in Seoul following its latest profit 
report. The seller of memory chips said it's in the midst of a virtuous cycle 
of rising AI usage, and it expects demand to continue to outpace supply through 
2030.

   On Wall Street, Micron Technology rose 4.4% and was the strongest force 
lifting the S&P 500. It also sells memory for computers.

   They helped offset a drop for Boston Scientific, which fell 8.1% even though 
the seller of medical devices reported a milder drop in profit for the latest 
quarter than analysts expected. It gave a forecast for profit in the current 
quarter that fell short of analysts' expectations.

   Robinhood Markets sank 3% after reporting weaker profit and revenue for the 
latest quarter than analysts expected.

   In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady ahead of the 
Fed's announcement. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 5.01% from 4.99% 
late Tuesday.

   It's near the high end of its range since it shooting upward from 3.97% when 
the war with Iran sent oil prices and worries about inflation much higher. But 
it's pulled back after topping 5.30% earlier this month and touching its 
highest level since 2002.

   Oil prices rose Wednesday as uncertainty continues about what will happen in 
the Middle East and the global energy industry. The price for a barrel of Brent 
crude, the international standard, climbed 1.8% to $111.33.

   In stock markets abroad, South Korea's Kospi led worldwide gains with a jump 
of 6.6% following SK Hynix's leap. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 1.1%, and France's 
CAC 40 added 0.1%.