NEW YORK — Stock futures are mixed in very light trading with most investors in a holding pattern ahead of a statement from the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Dow Jones industrial futures are down 10 points to 15,483. S&P futures are up less than a point at 1,684.90. Nasdaq futures are up 2 points to 3,087.50.
There's very little expectation that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will signal any change Wednesday in monetary policies that have kept U.S. interest rates at historic lows.
But as his statement last month proved, U.S. markets are easily spooked right now. Investors fled the market after Bernanke suggested that the Fed might slow its bond purchases later this year if the economy had improved.
The Fed will release at statement at 2:15 p.m. Eastern.
