Exchange-Traded Funds Higher, Equity Futures Mixed Pre-Bell Wednesday Ahead of Fed Policy Decision
The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.02% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 0.3% higher in Wednesday's premarket activity, ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee's policy decision.US stock futures were mixed, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.01%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures retreating 0.03%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.3% before the start of regular trading.The US Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee will make its latest policy announcement at 2 pm ET, followed by a press conference by Fed Chair Jerome Powell.Mortgage applications declined in the week ending April 24 after a large increase in the previous week, as mortgage rates rose slightly, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association Wednesday.US housing starts rose to an annual pace of 1.502 million in March, topping forecasts of 1.38 million and increasing from 1.356 million previously.In March, US building permits fell to an annual rate of 1.372 million, missing expectations of 1.39 million and declining from 1.538 million in the prior reading.Durable goods orders rose 0.8% in March, beating expectations for a 0.5% increase and marking a rebound from the previous 1.2% drop.Weekly petroleum stocks data are due to be released at 10:30 am ET, followed by the Atlanta Federal Reserve Survey of Business Uncertainty for April at 11 am ET.In premarket activity, bitcoin was up by 1.7%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 1.8% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) advanced 1.6%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) retreated by 0.01%.Power Play:TechnologyThe State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) advanced by 0.7%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.5% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 0.8%. Among semiconductor ETFs, the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) increased by 1.6%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) rose by 1.8%.United Microelectronics (UMC) shares were up more than 8% in Wednesday's premarket activity after the company reported Q1 earnings and revenue.Winners and Losers:FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) advanced 0.2%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 0.7%, while its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), was 0.6% lower.UBS Group (UBS) shares were up more than 5% pre-bell after the company reported higher Q1 earnings and revenue.IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI) advanced 0.3%, while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) was flat and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) was down 1.1%.AerCap Holdings (AER) stock was up more than 5% before the opening bell after the company reported higher Q1 revenue.Health CareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) retreated by 0.4%, the Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) lost 0.3%, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) was inactive. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was flat.GSK (GSK) stock was down more than 4% premarket even after the company reported higher Q1 core earnings and revenue.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) was down 0.1%, and the Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) retreated by 0.1%. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) advanced 0.5%. The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) lost 0.4%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) gained 0.1%, while the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) was 0.2% lower.Yum China (YUMC) shares were up more than 3% pre-bell after the company reported Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue.EnergyThe iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was up 0.9%, while the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) was up by 1.2%.Phillips 66 (PSX) stock was up more than 1% before the opening bell after the company reported it swung to Q1 adjusted earnings.CommoditiesFront-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose by 3.3% to $103.22 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas retreated by 1.3% to $2.66 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) increased by 3.4%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 1.3% lower.Gold futures for May were down by 0.7% at $4,576.40 an ounce on the Comex. Silver futures retreated by 0.9% to $73.05 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) was 0.6% lower, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) fell by 0.6%.