Investing.com - The Australian Stock Exchange opened higher on Wednesday, reflecting advancements on Wall Street overnight ahead of the upcoming Federal Reserve policy meeting.
The policymakers are expected to release a statement at 5 am AEDT on Thursday, alongside updated economic projections. Jerome Powell, the Fed chairman, is anticipated to emphasize the central bank's interest in further evidence of inflation slowing down. He is also likely to moderate short-term predictions for a rate cut.
Kelsian Group Ltd (ASX:KLS) and Macmahon Holdings Ltd (ASX:MAH) will trade ex-dividend on Wednesday.
ASX futures were up 13 points or 0.2% to 7715 as of 7 am AEDT. At the same time, the Australian dollar fell by 0.4% to 65.31 US cents, Bitcoin dropped by 4.6% to $US64,139, and Spot gold fell by 0.2% to $US2156.29 per ounce. On the other hand, Brent crude rose by 0.8% to $US87.58 a barrel, and iron ore jumped by 3.2% to $US107.20 a tonne.
The focus for today is on the NZ fourth quarter current account announcement at 8.45 am, Eurozone's March consumer confidence, the UK's February CPI at 6 pm, and the US Federal Reserve policy statement release at 5 am Thursday AEDT.