- US futures were stable, with an all-time high this year firmly in reach amid expectations that the Federal Reserve will decrease interest rates soon.
- Futures on the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 were little changed amid light holiday trade. The S&P 500 is on track for a seven-week winning streak and closed Tuesday within 0.5% of a record high set early last year.
- Bitcoin recovered some of Tuesday's losses, propelling cryptocurrency-related equities higher.
- Bets that the Fed would begin reducing interest rates as early as March have driven US stocks to levels that some technical analysts deem overbought. Later on Wednesday, an index of factory mood and unemployment claims on Thursday may provide additional indications about the economic and monetary-policy outlook.
- The BoJ is to cut amounts for regular bond buying operations in the January-March quarter. [JPY Strengthened]
- BoJ's Governor Ueda: The probability of ending negative interest rates next year is not zero - NHK.
