US equity futures are slightly firmer after a weaker close on Wednesday. European markets are trading higher and Asian equities ended mixed. FOMC meeting concluded with the Fed leaving rates unchanged as expected, though the policy statement saw slight hawkish tweaks, with markets continuing to price the first rate reduction around mid-year. Big tech earnings in focus after hours, while results broadly beat expectations, Azure’s slower-than-expected growth and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA)'s cautious sales outlook weighed on sentiment. Meanwhile, AI-related scrutiny continues, as the White House reportedly discussed new restrictions on Nvidia’s H20 chip exports to China, and OpenAI, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), and regulators globally probe DeepSeek’s data acquisition methods. ECB widely expected to cut rates by 25 bps later today.
Companies mentioned: SoftBank, OpenAI, Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), Serco Group (LON:SRP), Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC)