US stocks had a mixed performance in the final trading session before the release of the December jobs report on Friday.
The S&P 500 closed 0.2% higher on Wednesday, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.1%. Both indices had dropped more than 1% on Tuesday.
During afternoon trading, minutes of the Federal Reserve’s December meeting were released, showing central bank officials advocating for a cautious approach to future interest rate cuts. Despite this, traders’ expectations remained that the first interest rate cut from the Fed this year will likely occur in July.
The upcoming official jobs data release on Friday will give investors a chance to assess the outlook for monetary policy in the year ahead.
On Thursday, both the US equities and Treasury market will be closed for the memorial service honoring former president Jimmy Carter.
