Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Nasdaq Futures Rise Despite Powell's Cautious Take On Stocks—Micron Tech, Cintas, KB Home In Focus

Market Overview - U.S. stock futures rose on Wednesday after declines on Tuesday, with major benchmark indices showing positive futures [1] - Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell noted that equity prices are "fairly highly valued" but downplayed immediate financial stability risks [1] - Investors are anticipating the release of the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, the PCE Index, scheduled for Friday [2] Economic Indicators - The 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.10%, while the two-year bond was at 3.56% [2] - The CME Group's FedWatch tool indicates a 94.1% likelihood of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates in October [2] - The S&P Global U.S. Composite PMI slowed to 53.6 in September, indicating softer growth [4] Stock Performance - Energy, real estate, and utilities stocks led gains on Tuesday, while information technology and consumer discretionary stocks fell [3] - Specific stock movements included Nvidia Corp. shares falling 2.8% after announcing a $100 billion investment in OpenAI [4] - The Dow Jones index closed 89 points lower, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite also experienced declines [5][6] Investment Insights - BlackRock advises clients to seek "granular opportunities" in Europe while maintaining an overweight position on U.S. equities [8] - The report highlights financials, industrials, and utilities as outperforming sectors in Europe, with financials achieving a 32% year-to-date return [9][10] - BlackRock sees value in European fixed income, particularly when currency is hedged, potentially boosting yields for U.S. investors [11] Stocks in Focus - Cintas Corp. is expected to report earnings of $1.19 per share on revenue of $2.70 million [15] - Micron Technology Inc. rose 1.86% after reporting better-than-expected fourth-quarter results and a strong revenue forecast [15] - Ares Acquisition Corporation II jumped 4.39% following successful fundraising for a merger with Kodiak Robotics [15] Global Market Trends - Asian markets closed mixed, with some indices rising while others fell [17] - Crude oil futures traded lower at around $63.30 per barrel, while gold prices rose to approximately $3,770.50 per ounce [16]