S&P 500 edges lower as oil rises, traders brace for Fed decision and Big Tech earnings: Live updates

The S&P 500 moved lower on Wednesday, while oil prices continued their rally amid a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. Traders also awaited the conclusion of what could be Jerome Powell’s final policy meeting as Federal Reserve chair as well as quarterly earnings from four of the “Magnificent Seven.”

The broad market index traded down 0.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also shed 85 points, or 0.2%, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.5%.

Oil prices rose for another day on Wednesday after The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported that President Donald Trump has told aides to prepare for an extended blockade of Iran. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures gained 4% to trade above $104 per barrel. International benchmark Brent crude futures advanced 4% to trade above $116 a barrel.

Investors will be watching for any commentary from the Federal Reserve on inflation amid the conflict in the Middle East, as Wednesday will mark the conclusion of the April Fed policy meeting — which will likely be Powell’s last at the helm before his term as chair ends in May. Kevin Warsh, Trump’s nominated successor, appears on track to take over for Powell at the central bank. The market does not expect the Fed to make any adjustments to the current federal funds rate.

Later Wednesday, four of the “Magnificent Seven” tech titans are on the docket to report their earnings after the closing bell: Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms and Microsoft. Investors have high expectations for these companies to show the revenue that will justify the capital they have spent on artificial intelligence investments.

“While earnings beats are largely expected from Wednesday’s big tech earnings, the market’s focus is squarely on forward guidance both on growth trajectories and the pace of future investment,” said Chris Brigati, chief investment officer at SWBC. “Each company faces its own dynamics, but delivering tangible results from elevated capex remains the critical test.”

Technology was a sore spot in the previous session after The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that OpenAI recently missed its own revenue and user growth targets. However, on Wednesday, both Seagate Technology and NXP Semiconductors popped more than 17% and 23%, respectively, after posting earnings beats and sharing positive revenue guidance.