Stock futures rose on Wednesday, with Wall Street looking to build on back-to-back winning sessions. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average ticked up 73 points, 0.2%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.3% and 0.4%, respectively. Alphabet shares continued to move higher, ticking higher by around 1% in the premarket after gaining more than 1% in the prior trading day. The stock has risen about 8% this week. The three U.S. stock indexes ended Tuesday higher after a volatile trading session. The 30-stock Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up more than 660 points, or 1.4%, and logged a third consecutive positive session. Several tech stocks also climbed higher to lift the broader market. Alphabet hit fresh record highs on a report that Meta Platforms is considering using the Google parent’s TPU chips in 2027. Chipmaker Nvidia shed more than 2.5%, meanwhile. “Stocks are trying to stage a comeback from the past few weeks of declines, suggesting that dip buyers are still out in full force,” said Clark Bellin, president and chief investment officer of Bellwether Wealth. “The depth of the market’s pullback in November was only about 4% from the late October high, which is well below the typical 10% correction threshold.” “While we expect the stock market to revisit these highs, there isn’t an obvious upside catalyst to propel the market between now and the end of the year,” Bellin added. Investors continue to monitor catalysts that could affect the Federal Reserve’s next interest rate move. Traders are pricing in a roughly 85% chance of a quarter percentage point cut from the Fed in December, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC earlier Tuesday that there’s a “very good chance” that Trump will “make an announcement before Christmas” on who will be the next Fed chair. While he said he was interviewing candidates, expectations are shifting toward White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, after Bloomberg reported he had emerged as a frontrunner for the job. Hassett is viewed as someone more likely to push for lower rates. Looking at the overall picture, November has proven to be a difficult month for stocks. All three U.S. indexes are tracking for a losing month as concerns about elevated valuations have cooled the momentum behind some high-flying tech stocks. The S&P 500 is down around 1% in November, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite has lost about 3%. The Dow has declined roughly 1% month to date. U.S. Treasury yields moved higher on Wednesday as investors continued to watch for news that could affect the interest rate decision and speculated about the next Federal Reserve Chair. The 10-year Treasury yield was less than 1 basis point higher at 4.009%, while the 30-year bond yield moved up a basis point to 4.659%. The 2-year note yield was 1 basis point higher at 3.469%. Asia-Pacific markets rose Wednesday, tracking Wall Street gains on hopes that the U.S. Federal Reserve could cut benchmark interest rates in December. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 1.85% to close at 49,559.07, led by the utilities, real estate and financials sectors. The Topix index rose nearly 2% to 3,355.5. South Korea’s Kospi advanced 2.67% to close at 3,960.87, and the small-cap Kosdaq climbed 2.49% to 877.32. Australia’s ASX/S&P 200 closed 0.81% higher at 8,606.5. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was last up 0.38%, and mainland China’s CSI 300 gained 0.61% to close at 4,517.63. Hong Kong-listed shares of Alibaba Group fell 1.27% after its fiscal second-quarter report on Tuesday showed adjusted EBITA, a profitability measure closely watched by analysts, fell 78% year on year, dragged by its instant commerce business segment. Revenue topped estimates. Taiwan’s Taiex index rose 1.85% to 27,409.54, with shares of Hon Hai Precision Industry — also known as Foxconn — climbing 3.65%. Oil prices were steady on Wednesday after sliding to a one-month low in the previous session as investors assessed prospects of oversupply and talks over a Russia-Ukraine peace deal. Brent crude futures lost 5 cents to $62.43 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 1 cent at $57.96. “The market remains fundamentally skewed to the downside, with investors increasingly pricing in an oversupplied 2026 and no convincing demand catalyst to offset it,” said Phillip Nova analyst Priyanka Sachdeva. Gold prices rose to a near two-week high on Wednesday, after benign U.S. economic data reinforced expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut next month, supporting non-yielding bullion. Spot gold was up 0.7% to $4,159.23 per ounce, its highest since November 14. U.S. gold futures for December delivery were up 0.4% at $4,155.90 per ounce. “Market participants are starting to price in again a U.S. rate cut for December. Lower interest rates tend to be positive for the yellow metal,” said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo. “We continue to see further upside in the near term, with a year-end forecast of $4,200/oz and $4,500/oz mid next year.”