Stock market futures remained flat on Wednesday as Wall Street waited to see if equities could return to this week's highs.
Stock market futures linked to the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average remained steady. But the Nasdaq 100 rose by 0.1%.
Morgan Stanley shares rose 3% in pre-market trading after beating Wall Street estimates for third-quarter profit and revenue.
The Dow and S&P 500 each retreated from their recent records during the regular trading session on Tuesday, falling by 0.75% and 0.76%. The Nasdaq Composite was down 1.01%, but still less than 2% from its record high. Technology stocks, especially semiconductors, weighed on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. The technology sector declined 1.8% on Tuesday, as Nvidia fell more than 4%.
Bryn Talkington, managing partner of Requisite Capital Management, said that the stock market is likely to continue to face uncertainty in the coming weeks as investors try to find indications in the season of earnings reports and the presidential election.
"Until the election is over, I believe that at the main level we will not see a big change, but I think under the surface we will see the difference between those who benefit and those who do not," he said.
Earnings reports this week were mixed, with strong reports from major banks slightly overshadowed by weak forecasts from firms such as UnitedHealth Group and Dutch chipmaker ASML.
