Stocks Steady as Fed Rate Cuts Take Center Stage

Wall Street stocks remained steady as investors awaited further developments on potential interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Futures tied to the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were flat, while Nasdaq 100 futures saw a slight increase. Traders are pricing in a 30% chance of a rate cut as early as March. The release of minutes from the Fed's last meeting and Nvidia's financial results will be closely watched. In other news, Microsoft shares rose after hiring Sam Altman to lead a new AI research team, and oil prices increased amid reports of a potential production cut by Saudi Arabia and its allies at the upcoming OPEC+ meeting.