UKX FTSE 100 Index

By Chris Matthews and William Watts, MarketWatch

The U.S. central bank launches its second interest-rate policy meeting of the year

Stock-index futures pointed to a higher start for Wall Street Tuesday, with bulls looking to extend a winning streak for the Dow Jones Industrial Average to five sessions as Federal Reserve policy makers prepare to convene a two-day policy meeting.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 102 points, or 0.4%, at 26,067, while S&P 500 futures rose 9.9 points, or 0.4%, to 2,850.50. Nasdaq-100 futures gained 25.25 points, or 0.3%, to 7,386.75.

What's driving the market?

While no change in rates is expected, investors will be focused on the Fed's policy statement, remarks by Chairman Jerome Powell at his news conference, and policy makers' forecasts of future rate moves. Of particular interest is whether the Fed will announce plans to bring its balance-sheet runoff effort to an early end.

See:Fed seen revealing 'how and when' it will stop shedding balance sheet assets (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fed-seen-revealing-how-and-when-it-will-stop-shedding-balance-sheet-assets-2019-03-18)

The Fed is widely expected to maintain the tone it adopted in January, when it abruptly put its rate-hike plan on pause and took a wait-and-see approach to future rate moves.

Also read:Here are 3 things to watch when the Fed unveils its latest dot plot (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fed-doesnt-want-anyone-paying-attention-to-the-dot-plot-but-here-are-3-things-investors-wont-want-to-miss-2019-03-15)

Investors on Monday appeared to shrug off news reports that a meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to formally end a U.S.-China trade dispute is unlikely to occur until June. A meeting had previously been indicated for this month.

The Dow ended 65.23 points higher at 25,914.10, a gain of 0.3%, while the S&P advanced 10.46 points, or 0.4%, to 2,832.94 and the Nadaq Composite gained 25.95 points to 7,714.98, up 0.3%.

See:Bulls looking for repeat of 2016 stock-market rally will be disappointed: Morgan Stanley (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/stock-market-bulls-hoping-for-a-repeat-of-2016-rebound-will-be-disappointed-morgan-stanley-2019-03-18)

After suffering a steep year-end selloff, stocks have rebounded sharply. The S&P 500 is up nearly 16% from its Christmas Eve low and now stands 3.3% below its record close of 2,930.75 on Sept. 20.

Read:Why stocks can continue to rally in short term after investors suffered 'parable of the boiling frog' (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-stocks-can-continue-to-rally-in-short-term-after-investors-suffered-parable-of-the-boiling-frog-2019-03-18)

What are analysts saying?

"The Federal Reserve begin their two day meeting today, and some dealers are anticipating a neutral update from the U.S. central bank," said David Madden, market analyst at CMC Markets UK, in a note. "In recent months, the Fed have rowed back on their hawkish rhetoric and have moved more towards a middle-of-the- road position, and an absence of hawkish language is likely to lift investment sentiment."

What stocks are worth watching?

Shares of Michaels Cos. (MIK) rose 4.8% in premarket action Tuesday, after the arts-and-crafts retailer reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and revenue (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/michaels-cos-stock-soars-4-premarket-as-quarterly-earnings-beat-offsets-soft-guidance-2019-03-19) that surpassed Wall Street expectations, though the company disappointed in its 2019 outlook. The stock is down 45% over the past 12 months.

DSW Inc. (DSW) stock fell 5.6% before the bell Tuesday, after the discount footwear retailer reported fiscal 2018 earnings (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dsw-stock-plunges-after-full-year-adjusted-profit-misses-expectations-2019-03-19) that fell short of analyst forecast.

What data are in focus?

Investors will get an estimate of growth in factory orders for the month of January, when the Commerce Department issues a report at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. Economists polled by MarketWatch expect an increase of 0.4%, compared with December's 0.1% rise.

How are other markets trading?

Asian stocks were muted during trade Tuesday (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/asian-markets-muted-awaiting-upcoming-fed-meeting-2019-03-18), with Japan's Nikkei 225 edging 0.1% lower, China's Shanghai Composite Index falling 0.2%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index adding 0.2%.

In Europe, stocks were on rise Tuesday, with the Stoxx Europe 600 adding 0.7%.

Crude oil maintained its recent strength, adding 0.6%. The price of gold , meanwhile edged higher, while the U.S. dollar lost ground versus major rivals.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 19, 2019 07:48 ET (11:48 GMT)

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