WBT – U.S. stocks appeared headed for a rebound Tuesday as investors awaited the start of a two-day meeting of the Federal Reserve that is widely expected to bring another reduction in interest rates.
The sharp rise in stock market futures contracts Tuesday was to be expected given the extreme volatility that has been the hallmark of Wall Street’s behavior for more than a month. At the same time, the sometimes light volume of futures trading can make it difficult to determine the market’s overall mood. In recent weeks, stock futures have moved solidly in one direction, while actual trading was more moderate after the opening bell.
A higher open would come as casualties from the global crisis piled up Tuesday: Whirlpool Corp. said it will cut about 5,000 jobs by the end of 2009, Iceland said it needs $6 billion and Germany said Pakistan must secure a loan from the International Monetary Fund within a week.
