Fed decision on tap, oil in focus as Trump pressures Iran: Live Updates

Stocks ticked higher on Wednesday as investors await the Federal Reserve’s latest interest rate decision.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up more than 20 points, or 0.07%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively.

The Fed will announce its latest decision on whether to cut interest rates on Wednesday. The central bank and Chairman Jerome Powell have faced mounting political pressure from the Trump administration to lower rates to spur the economy.

The Fed is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged this week, which would make it four straight meetings in which the central bank has left rates unchanged. The benchmark federal funds rate has been at a target range of 4.25% to 4.5% since the Fed’s last interest rate cut in December.

Investors are also closely watching the intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday rejected President Donald Trump’s call for an “unconditional surrender” from Iran.

“The US President threatens us. With his absurd rhetoric, he demands that the Iranian people surrender to him. They should make threats against those who are afraid of being threatened. The Iranian nation isn’t frightened by such threats,” Khamenei wrote in a post on X.