Wall Street experienced a slightly positive session Tuesday, supported by investor optimism as the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) kicked off its two-day meeting, expected to deliver the first interest rate cut in over four years on Wednesday.
The session’s notable performers were small caps, with the Russell 2000 index surging about 1.3%, targeting its highest close since early August and outperforming larger-cap indices.
Among industries, solar, clean energy and regional banks led gains as traders eyed pockets of the markets that would benefit from lower interest rates.
On the macro front, August retail sales provided an upside surprise, growing by 0.1% month-over-month compared to the expected 0.2% decline. This stronger-than-anticipated data slightly reduced the likelihood of a more aggressive 50-basis-point rate cut, with market-implied probabilities for such a move slipping from 67% to 63%, according to the CME FedWatch Tool.
Short-dated Treasury yields ...
