Meta Platforms (META) stock is 1.9% higher premarket after strong Q4 earnings and a lawsuit settlement with Donald Trump

The Federal Reserve is widely expected to hold its benchmark interest rate steady Wednesday, taking a pause after cutting short-term rates [by a full percentage point](

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 Fed is widely expected to make no change to interest rates today, after cutting the benchmark short-term rate at every one of its last three meetings. There also won't be any quarterly economic or interest-rate projections.

Wall Street is coming off a losing session after the Federal Reserve paused its interest rate-cutting campaign, leaving its borrowing rate unchanged in a range between 4.25% and 4.5%. In their postmeeting statement, policymakers noted that inflation remains "somewhat elevated."

Meta and Tesla rise as Microsoft slumps, keeping US indices mixed. Investors await Apple and Amazon earnings while GDP and Fed policy weigh on sentiment.

Stocks are ticking higher on Wall Street following a rush of profit reports from some of the country’s most influential companies. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% in early Thursday trading.

Wall Street futures rose with gains from tech giants like Meta and Tesla after the Federal Reserve paused its rate-cutting cycle. Meta and Tesla's positive reports contrasted with Microsoft's disappointing cloud forecast.

Meta Platforms and most other U.S. stocks are rising Thursday following a rush of profit reports from some of the country’s most influential companies, but drops for Nvidia and Microsoft are keeping the market in check.

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