Stock futures gained slightly after a huge market rally following Donald Trump’s decisive victory in the presidential election. Traders are also awaiting the Federal Reserve interest rate decision Thursday afternoon. S&P 500 futures added 0.3%, and Nasdaq 100 futures traded up 0.5%. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 12 points, or less than 0.1%. Trump’s triumph in the race for the White House spurred a surge in stocks that sent the blue-chip Dow soaring by more than 1,500 points. The S&P 500 jumped 2.53% for its best post-election day in history. The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite all notched new all-time highs in the session, while the small cap-focused Russell 2000 jumped more than 5%. Bitcoin, the U.S. dollar and bank stocks all jumped as part of Wednesday’s post-election advance. On the other hand, several international funds and solar stocks struggled as investors expected the President-elect’s policies to hurt these names. “The results are in and the financial markets can breathe a little easier without concern over a prolonged election process,” said Scott Helfstein, head of investment strategy at Global X ETFs. “Investors should still be cautious about over- and underreaction to geopolitical news. These events can typically cause large swings in asset prices, but fundamentals will win out over time.” Market participants on Thursday will closely monitor the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision and Chair Jerome Powell’s subsequent press conference. Fed funds futures are currently pricing in a 100% likelihood that the central bank lowers the borrowing cost at this gathering, according to CME Group’s Fed Watch tool. “It’s difficult to say whether this easing will continue in the coming months until the dust settles following the US election and the implications for inflation and currencies become clear,” said Richard Flynn, Managing Director at Charles Schwab UK. “But in the short term, we expect that today’s announcement should provide investors with a snippet of clarity in the outlook after a fortnight chock-full of market moving events.” A rate reduction Thursday would mark a second straight cut after the Fed’s decrease in September, which was its first since 2020. Treasury yields dipped on Thursday as investors reacted to Donald Trump’s sweeping election victory and awaited the Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates. The 10-year Treasury yield dipped 2 basis points to 4.42% after jumping over 14 basis points in the previous session. The yield on the 2-year Treasury fell 4 basis point to 4.24%. Asia-Pacific markets mostly rose in choppy trading on Thursday after former President Donald Trump won the White House, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was the only major index in negative territory, losing 0.43% and closing at 39,381.41, but the broad based Topix was up 1% to 2,743.08. In choppy trading, mainland China’s CSI 300 led gains in Asia, closing 3.02% higher at 4,145.7, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was up 2% as of its final hour of trade. China reported October exports data that sharply beat market expectations. South Korea’s Kospi rose marginally to 2,564.63, but the small-cap Kosdaq lost 1.32% to end at 733.52. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 traded 0.33% higher, ending at 8,226.3. Oil slipped on Thursday, extending a sell-off triggered by the U.S. presidential election, as a strong dollar and lower crude imports in China outweighed supply risks from a Trump presidency and output cuts caused by Hurricane Rafael. Donald Trump’s election win initially triggered a sell-off that pushed oil down more than $2 as the dollar rallied. But crude prices later pared losses to settle at a less than 1% decline by the end of Wednesday’s session. Brent crude oil futures fell 57 cents, or 0.76%, to $74.35 a barrel by 7:52 a.m. ET on Thursday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude slipped 73 cents, or 1.02%, to $70.96. Gold prices rose on Thursday but traded near a three-week low, as market participants awaited an expected rate cut decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve later in the day. Spot gold gained 0.3% to $2,668.23 per ounce, after hitting its lowest level since Oct. 15 earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures were steady at $2,675.40.