AI Sentiment: Cautiously Bullish
Reason: U.S. stock futures show a marginal rise in anticipation of the Federal Reserve's meeting. Despite cautious market activity, there are positive signs such as Marathon Oil Corp's shares rising by 3.3% after announcing a buyback plan.



U.S. stock futures were relatively quiet as investors held back in anticipation of the Federal Reserve's meeting. This has led to a muted market, with market participants taking a cautious approach until more information about the central bank's monetary policy decisions becomes available.

Dow Jones Industrial Average Futures remained largely unchanged, showing a marginal rise of 0.01%. On the other hand, S&P 500 Futures exhibited a slightly more pronounced movement, with a 0.04% uptick, while Nasdaq 100 Futures slipped 0.03% in pre-market trading.

This subdued market activity comes ahead of the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting. During this meeting, the central bank is expected to discuss its monetary policy and provide insights into future interest rate hikes. Given the current inflationary pressures and economic recovery concerns, investors are eagerly awaiting the Fed's comments on their policy outlook.

On the business front, Zoom Video Communications Inc saw its shares drop 5.5% in pre-market trading following the release of its quarterly results. Even though the company's revenue exceeded expectations, the slowing growth rate has raised concerns among investors. Meanwhile, Marathon Oil Corp shares rose by 3.3% after the company announced plans to buy back $500 million in shares.

In the commodities market, gold futures dropped by 0.41% to $1,776.25 a troy ounce, while crude oil futures rose by 0.74% to $69.23 a barrel. The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six other leading currencies, also remained relatively flat, increasing by 0.01% to 91.807.

Overall, the market's direction will likely be dictated by the outcome of the Federal Reserve's meeting. With potential influences such as inflation rates, economic recovery, and monetary policy on the table, investors are cautiously awaiting the central bank's next moves.