The Latest: Markets cautious ahead of Fed rate decision

NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on the Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting (all times local):

11:15 a.m.

Stocks are little changed in morning trading on Wall Street Wednesday ahead of a highly anticipated Federal Reserve statement on interest rates.

The S&P 500 was unchanged, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 39 points, or 0.2%, to 26,505. The Nasdaq composite edged down less than 0.1%.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.09%. That's still well below the 2.21% yield on the three-month Treasury bill.

The Fed isn't expected to cut rates today, but it has already signaled that it is prepared to take that action in order to help stabilize the U.S. economy if trade disputes cut into growth. Investors are betting on at least one interest rate cut this year, possibly as early as July.

The Fed's statement comes a day after the head of the European Central Bank said it was ready to cut interest rates and provide additional economic stimulus if necessary.

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5:05 a.m.

Stock markets are subdued as investors look ahead to the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy meeting, where the central bank is expected to indicate it could cut interest rates in coming months.

Futures for the Dow and S&P 500 are down about 0.1% on Wednesday, as is Germany's DAX stock index. The dollar is stable against the yen, at 108.43 yen, and against the euro, at $1.1200.

The Fed isn't considered ready to announce that it's reducing rates for the first time in more than a decade. But when it ends its latest policy meeting Wednesday, the central bank is expected to signal an inclination to ease credit sometime within the next several months. What it won't likely do is indicate when that might happen.

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12:05 a.m.

The Federal Reserve seems poised to pivot from keeping interest rates steady to holding out the option of cutting rates if it were to decide that the economic expansion needs support.

The Fed isn't considered ready to announce that it's reducing rates for the first time in more than a decade. But when it ends its latest policy meeting Wednesday, the central bank is expected to signal an inclination to ease credit sometime within the next several months. What it won't likely do is indicate when that might happen.