CNBC Daily Open: Fed’s quarter-point cut brings little cheer to U.S. markets

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday stateside cut interest rates by a quarter point, bringing the overnight funds rate range between 4% and 4.25%. That move was fully priced in markets — so traders got what they expected.

It was a near-unanimous decision by the Fed. Only Stephen Miran, picked by U.S. President Donald Trump and confirmed to the Fed board just on Monday, dissented and voted for a half-point cut. Prior to the meeting, there was chatter that governors Michelle Bowman and Christopher Waller — both of whom were also appointed by Trump — might advocate for a larger cut.

While Fed unity projects an image of independence, bolstering its credibility in the eyes of financial markets, the expected rate cut did little to cheer markets.

A majority of central bank officials see only one cut in 2026, far fewer than traders had been pricing in, according to the CME FedWatch tool. The dot plot also showed disparity in rate projections for next year, which means uncertainty over economic outlook. And Chair Jerome Powell characterized the cut as “risk management,” suggesting that the Fed was lowering rates out of caution rather than seeing it as necessary to support the labor market.

The S&P 500

 edged down 0.1% and the Nasdaq Composite

 lost 0.3%. Only the Dow Jones Industrial Average

 rose, adding 0.6%.

Markets for now have not really cheered the Fed move — awaiting Trump’s calls for a 100 basis point cut to materialize?

What you need to know today

Fed cuts rates by 25 basis points and sees two more this year. The decision, made Wednesday, was near unanimous — only newly appointed governor Stephen Miran voted for a 50-point cut. Chair Jerome Powell called it a “risk management cut.”

China reportedly bans Nvidia chip. That’s according to the Financial Times, which reported that Beijing had ordered companies not to buy Nvidia’s RTX Pro 600D, which was custom-made for the country. Nvidia

 CEO Jensen Huang said he was “disappointed.”

Meta unveils first consumer-ready smart glasses. The Meta

 Ray-Ban glasses cost $799 and come with a built-in display, the company announced Wednesday. The digital display can be controlled by hand gestures via a wristband that detects muscle activity.

U.S. stocks traded mixed on Wednesday. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite fell, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose and hit an intraday high. Markets were mixed in Asia on Thursday, with Japan’s Nikkei 225

 adding more than 1% to hit an all-time high, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index

 fell.

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And finally...

UK’s top fintech companies: 2025

The global fintech landscape has been shifting as investors look to countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Singapore for new opportunities. The U.K., however, remains a key hub, thanks to its vibrant financial services sector and venture capital ecosystem.

CNBC and Statista have identified the top 150 fintechs in the U.K, encompassing a diverse set of companies across seven market segments, both within London and beyond. The report builds on a global list of the top 300 fintech companies which CNBC published in partnership with Statista in July.

Read more at CNBC

Reference : CNBC