Stock market today: Live updates

U.S. stock futures inched higher on Wednesday as traders monitor the latest developments in the Middle East and brace for the Federal Reserve’s latest rate policy decision.

S&P 500 futures rose 0.1%, while Nasdaq 100 futures advanced 0.2%. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average also climbed 22 points, or about 0.1%.

Stocks are coming off a downbeat session Tuesday as the Israel-Iran conflict mounted.

The attacks between the two countries entered their sixth day Wednesday as Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that Iran won’t surrender and warned that the U.S. will “undoubtedly be met with irreparable damage” if it enters the conflict.

This comes after President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform Tuesday to threaten the Iranian leader, saying that “our patience is wearing thin” and calling for “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” Current and former administration officials also told NBC News that Trump is weighing options on Iran, including whether to launch a military strike.

Adam Crisafulli, founder of Vital Knowledge, said that equity markets are looking especially vulnerable these days.

“Even before the events in the Middle East, there was just so much risk on the horizon, and we have valuations that are very elevated so you don’t have a lot of flexibility,” he said Tuesday on CNBC’s “Closing Bell,” noting that tariffs, fiscal uncertainty and the debt ceiling are among the factors that are up in the air. “There’s not a lot of capacity priced in to absorb all this uncertainty.”

Fed decision ahead

The Federal Reserve’s rate decision is due at 2 p.m. ET. The U.S. central bank is widely expected to hold rates steady, but investors will be keeping a close eye on Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s post-meeting comments.

Traders are also watching for policymakers’ forecast on rate policy, as the Federal Open Market Committee will be sharing members’ “dot plot” of rate expectations.