{"id":34309,"date":"2025-07-30T21:06:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T21:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/34309\/"},"modified":"2025-07-30T21:06:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T21:06:15","slug":"5-things-to-know-before-the-stock-market-opens-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/34309\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things to Know Before the Stock Market Opens"},"content":{"rendered":"

U.S. stock futures are edging higher as investors anticipate that the Federal Reserve will leave interest rates unchanged when it concludes its meeting later today; Microsoft (MSFT<\/a>) is expected to show strong revenue and profit growth when it releases results after the closing bell; Meta Platforms (META<\/a>) is also expected to report strong results as investors look for updates on the firm’s AI hiring plans; and Starbucks (SBUX<\/a>) shares are rising in premarket trading after CEO Brian Niccol touted the coffee chain’s turnaround efforts amid rising revenue. Here’s what investors need to know today.\n<\/p>\n

1. US Stock Futures Point Higher as Traders Watch Earnings, Fed Rate Decision <\/p>\n

U.S. stock futures are ticking higher as investors anticipate earnings from top tech firms and await the Federal Reserve’s latest announcement on interest rates. S&P 500<\/a> futures are 0.1% higher after the benchmark index declined 0.3% in the prior session, snapping a six-session run<\/a> of record highs. Nasdaq<\/a> futures are up 0.2% after the tech-focused index fell yesterday to end its four-session streak of record highs. Dow Jones Industrial Average<\/a> futures are little changed. Bitcoin (BTCUSD<\/a>) is trading higher at just over $118,000. The yields on the 10-year Treasury note is little changed. Oil futures are declining and gold futures are near flat.\n<\/p>\n

2. Federal Reserve Rate Decision Comes As Trump Presses Bank to Make Cuts <\/p>\n

The Federal Reserve will announce its latest decision on interest rates<\/a> today at 2 p.m. ET, and investors and economists widely expect that the central bank will hold rates<\/a> at the current level between 4.25% and 4.5%. After the decision, Fed Chair Jerome Powell will take media questions at 2:30 p.m. While the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)<\/a> isn’t expected to make its first rate cut since December, some FOMC members have indicated that they may vote in favor of a cut amid pressure from President Donald Trump<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

3. Microsoft to Report Results After Bell; Analysts Are Bullish <\/p>\n

Microsoft’s (MSFT<\/a>) fiscal fourth-quarter report is scheduled to be released after markets close on Wednesday, and Wall Street remains resoundingly bullish<\/a> on the software giant. Analysts polled by Visible Alpha project that Microsoft reported revenue growth of 14% year-over-year to $73.86 billion, and earnings per share of $3.38, up from $2.95. All 20 analysts covering Microsoft tracked by Visible Alpha have a “buy” or equivalent rating for the stock. Microsoft stock, which has added about a fifth of its value in 2025 and set multiple record highs<\/a> this month, is edging higher in premarket trading.\n<\/p>\n

4. Meta Platforms Also Set to Report Results After the Bell <\/p>\n

Fellow “Magnificent Seven” company Meta Platforms (META<\/a>) also is scheduled to report results<\/a> after the closing bell today, and analysts are similarly bullish. Of the 27 analysts covering Meta who are tracked by Visible Alpha, 25 have a “buy” or equivalent rating for the stock<\/a>, alongside two “hold” ratings. Analysts expect the Facebook parent to report a 15% year-over-year rise in second-quarter revenue to $44.83 billion, as well as net income of $5.90 per share, up from $5.16. Investors will also be listening for updates on Meta’s artificial intelligence<\/a> hiring spree after the firm poached top talent<\/a> from other AI firms. Meta shares<\/a> are about 1% higher in premarket trading.\n<\/p>\n

5. Starbucks Stock Rises as CEO Touts Turnaround Efforts <\/p>\n

Starbucks (SBUX<\/a>) shares are surging nearly 5% in premarket trading after CEO Brian Niccol said the company is “ahead of schedule”<\/a> on its turnaround efforts. The coffee chain reported third-quarter revenue that rose 4% year-over-year to $9.46 billion, beating the Visible Alpha consensus, although its adjusted EPS declined more than expected to $0.50 from $0.93. Global same-store sales fell 2%, a wider decline than analysts anticipated. However, Niccol touted the success of the “Back to Starbucks”<\/a> turnaround plan, intended to speed up service and get customers to spend more time in cafes, helping send shares higher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"U.S. stock futures are edging higher as investors anticipate that the Federal Reserve will leave interest rates unchanged…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34310,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[84,467,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-34309","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-markets","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-markets","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}