European Shares Seen Mixed At Open

(RTTNews) - European stocks are seen opening on a mixed note Wednesday as investors await cues from the Fed's policy decision and tech earnings.

Around a third of S&P 500 companies by market capitalization will report their earnings results this week.

Microsoft Corp., Meta Platforms Inc. and Tesla Inc. report earnings later today, followed by Apple Inc. on Thursday. Google parent Alphabet Inc. reports on Feb. 4.

Texas Instruments shares soared 5 percent in after-hours trading Tuesday after the company gave a surprisingly robust forecast for the first quarter.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to hold the benchmark interest rate steady later today, with investors looking for additional clues on the timing of future rate cuts.

A partial U.S. government shutdown will begin at 12:01 a.m. ET Saturday if Congress doesn't resolve a dispute over immigration enforcement.

The political pushback follows the fatal shooting by federal agents of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

Asian markets were mixed, with South Korea's Kospi average setting a new record after U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration will "work something out" with Seoul over a trade deal.

Hong Kong stocks reached a 4-1/2-year high, led by energy and materials shares.

Japanese markets traded lower as the yen held near three-month highs after rallying nearly 4 percent over the past three sessions on expectations of coordinated yen buying by Tokyo and Washington.

Gold held gains to reach a new peak above $5,250 an ounce and the U.S. dollar grappled with a "crisis of confidence", struggling near four-year lows after President Trump indicated he's comfortable with its recent decline.

Oil held near a four-month high, with WTI crude futures holding above $62 per barrel, following a nearly 3 percent gain in the previous session.

Overnight, U.S. stocks ended mixed despite upbeat earnings news from big-name companies like General Motors and UPS.

Raising concerns about the broader economy and job market, a survey showed U.S. consumer confidence dropped to its lowest level since 2014.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.9 percent on optimism around tech earnings.

The S&P 500 rose 0.4 percent to extend gains for a fifth straight session and notch a record closing high on upbeat news from memory chipmakers.

The Dow gave up 0.8 percent as health insurance stocks fell amid concerns over future Medicare payments.

European stocks closed broadly higher on Tuesday as investors reacted to the EU-India trade deal and assessed the potential impact U.S. tariffs might have on global trade.

The pan European Stoxx 600 advanced 0.6 percent. France's CAC 40 edged up by 0.3 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 added 0.6 percent while the German DAX closed 0.2 percent lower.