<div id="readability-page-1"><div><div>U.S. stocks inched higher midday Wednesday, as investors digested upbeat economic data while keeping an optimistic tone ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy decision and a wave of key tech earnings due after the bell.<ul> <li>The QQQ ETF is on track for a fourth consecutive monthly gain. See the chart here.</li> </ul>The S&amp;P 500 rose 0.2%, the Nasdaq added 0.4%, and the Dow Jones hovered near the flatline. Small-cap stocks outperformed, with the Russell 2000 up 0.6%. Markets widely expect the Federal Reserve to keep rates steady at 4.25%-4.50%, but with two policymakers already showing preference for a cut, the decision could mark the most divided vote since 1993.On the trade front, former President Donald Trump announced a new 25% tariff on Indian imports, set to take effect Aug. 1. Advance GDP data showed the U.S. economy grew at an annualized 3.0% in the second quarter of 2025, a sharp rebound from the previous quarter's 0.5% contraction and well above the 2.4% consensus, powered by strong consumer spending and a decline in imports. In the labor market, private payrolls rose by 104,000 in July, the strongest gain since March and a solid beat on the 75,000 forecast—reversing a contraction in June. Commodities were in focus as WTI crude extended its rally, surging 1.5% on the day to hit $70 a barrel, driven by geopolitical tensions following Trump's new 10-day ultimatum to Russia over peace talks with Ukraine. The three-day gain now totals over 8%.Gold slipped 1% to $3,290 per ounce as the U.S. dollar strengthened on the back of robust economic data. Meanwhile, Bitcoin BTC/USD held steady around $118,000.<h3>Wednesday’s Performance In Major US Indices, ETFs</h3>According to Benzinga Pro data:<ul> <li>The Vanguard S&amp;P 500 ETF VOO inched 0.1% higher to $584.81.</li> <li>The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average DIA flattened at $446.50.</li> <li>The tech-heavy Invesco QQQ Trust Series QQQ rose 0.3% to $569.07.</li> <li>The iShares Russell 2000 ETF IWM rallied 0.7% to $224.19.</li> <li>The Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund XLU outperformed, up 1%; the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund XLE lagged, down 1%.</li> </ul><h2>Wednesday’s Stock Movers</h2><ul> <li>Coinbase Global Inc. COIN climbed 2.3%, poised to break a seven-day losing streak, after JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. JPM announced a partnership with the crypto exchange that will allow Chase credit card holders to fund their Coinbase wallets and purchase cryptocurrencies. </li> <li>Stocks moving on earnings reports included: <ul> <li>Visa Inc. V up 0.8%</li> <li>UnitedHealth Group Incorporated UNH flat</li> <li>Booking Holdings Inc. BKNG up 1.2%</li> <li>Automatic Data Processing, Inc. ADP up 1.9%</li> <li>Starbucks Corporation SBUX up 0.7%</li> <li>Altria Group, Inc. MO up 2.0%</li> <li>Trane Technologies plc TT down 7.8%</li> <li>Mondelez International, Inc. MDLZ down 6.0%</li> <li>Illinois Tool Works Inc. ITW down 2.0%</li> <li>Republic Services, Inc. RSG down 5.0%</li> <li>American Electric Power Company, Inc. AEP up 3.8%</li> <li>Vertiv Holdings Co VRT up 1.6%</li> <li>Garmin Ltd. GRMN down 5.5%</li> <li>Electronic Arts Inc. EA up 7.2%</li> <li>Entergy Corporation ETR up 3.2%</li> <li>Verisk Analytics, Inc. VRSK down 4.8%</li> <li>The Hershey Company HSY up 2.3%</li> <li>WEC Energy Group, Inc. WEC up 0.5%</li> <li>Tradeweb Markets Inc. TW up 4.9%</li> <li>GE HealthCare Technologies Inc. GEHC down 4.9%</li> <li>Arch Capital Group Ltd. ACGL down 1.0%</li> <li>Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. ODFL down 8.8%</li> <li>Humana Inc. HUM up 7.4%</li> <li>Expand Energy Corporation EXPN up 5.1%</li> <li>Smurfit Westrock plc SMUR down 2.1%</li> <li>PPG Industries, Inc. PPG down 4.9%</li> <li>Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited TEVA up 3.6%</li> <li>Essex Property Trust, Inc. ESS down 4.7%</li> <li>Teradyne, Inc. TER up 21.2%</li> <li>Fortive Corporation FTV up 0.9%</li> </ul> </li> </ul><h2>Stocks slated to report earnings after the close:</h2><ul> <li>Albemarle Corporation ALB</li> <li>American Water Works Company, Inc. AWK</li> <li>Antero Resources Corporation AR</li> <li>AvalonBay Communities, Inc. AVB</li> <li>Bausch Health Companies Inc. BHC</li> <li>C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. CHRW</li> <li>Carvana Co. CVNA</li> <li>Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation CTSH</li> <li>Confluent, Inc. CFLT</li> <li>DexCom, Inc. DXCM</li> <li>eBay Inc. EBAY</li> <li>Equinix, Inc. EQIX</li> <li>Everest Group, Ltd. EG</li> <li>Extra Space Storage Inc. EXR</li> <li>F5, Inc. FFIV</li> <li>Fair Isaac Corporation FICO</li> <li>FirstEnergy Corp. FE</li> <li>Ford Motor Company F</li> <li>GFL Environmental Inc. GFL</li> <li>Guardant Health, Inc. GH</li> <li>Hologic, Inc. HOLX</li> <li>Host Hotels &amp; Resorts, Inc. HST</li> <li>Independence Realty Trust, Inc. IRT</li> <li>Invitation Homes Inc. INVH</li> <li>Lam Research Corporation LRCX</li> <li>Meta Platforms, Inc. META</li> <li>MGM Resorts International MGM</li> <li>Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. MAA</li> <li>Microsoft Corporation MSFT</li> <li>Public Storage PSA</li> <li>Prudential Financial, Inc. PRU</li> <li>PTC Inc. PTC</li> <li>QUALCOMM Incorporated QCOM</li> <li>Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. SFM</li> <li>The Allstate Corporation ALL</li> <li>Tyler Technologies, Inc. TYL</li> <li>UDR, Inc. UDR</li> <li>Ventas, Inc. VTR</li> <li>VICI Properties Inc. VICI</li> <li>Western Digital Corporation WDC</li> </ul>Now Read<ul> <li>US Economy Roars Back With 3% Growth, Handing Trump A Timely Victory </li> </ul>Image: Shutterstock</div></div></div>

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U.S. stocks rose midday Wednesday as investors reacted to positive economic data ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy decision. The S&P 500 increased by 0.2%, while the Nasdaq gained 0.4%. The Russell 2000 outperformed with a 0.6% rise. Oil prices surged to $70 a barrel amid geopolitical tensions, and the U.S. economy showed a 3.0% growth in Q2 2025. Notable stock movements included Coinbase up 2.3% and Electronic Arts up 7.2%. Earnings reports are expected from several major companies after the market close.

- U.S. stocks rose midday Wednesday, driven by positive economic data and anticipation of the Federal Reserve's policy decision.  
- The U.S. economy grew at an annualized 3.0% in Q2 2025, significantly surpassing expectations, while private payrolls increased by 104,000 in July.  
- Former President Trump announced a new 25% tariff on Indian imports, effective August 1, amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Stocks Rise Ahead Of Fed Meeting, Oil Jumps To $70: What's Moving Markets Wednesday?