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(Reuters) -U.S. stock index futures edged up on Wednesday, as markets eagerly awaited the Federal Reserve's final rate decision of the year and signals on whether policymakers will take a more cautious stance in 2025. The Fed is widely expected to reduce interest rates by 25 basis points at its meeting. With a rate cut broadly priced in, the Fed's summary of economic projections (SEP), which includes the "dot plot" of rate projections, and comments from Chair Jerome Powell will be in focus for indications on the rate path in 2025.

While the potential deal would result in a $54 billion automotive company, the world's third largest, any benefits for its credit outlook would come with a delay, they wrote in a research note. "We ... believe it will be difficult for them to produce significant effects quickly through expanding the scope of their collaboration to include batteries, software, and autonomous driving," S&P analysts said, but added the eventual impact on their creditworthiness would be significant. A merger would likely have a negative impact Honda's standalone credit outlook, while it should positively affect that of Nissan, they added.

Birkenstock Holdings posted better fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday than analysts had expected and said it expects margins will improve in fiscal 2025.

The week of Christmas is typically bullish for stocks

(Bloomberg) -- Secondary transactions involving venture-backed startups are on track to hit a new high this year, as companies like OpenAI, SpaceX and Stripe Inc. organize tender offers to get employees paid, and investors look for ways to offload stakes outside of initial public offerings.Most Read from BloombergNYPD Car Chases Are Becoming More Frequent — and More DangerousTender offers give staffers, former employees and certain investors a way to sell their shares directly to other investors

On Wednesday, TC BioPharm (Holdings) PLC (NASDAQ:TCBP) announced that its Board of Directors approved a special dividend of 0.25 American Depositary Shares for every 1 ADS held by shareholders, pending shareholder approval. The company intends to hold a general meeting of shareholders on Monday, December 30. The dividend is expected to be declared on December 30, 2024, and payable to shareholders who own the company's stock at the close of trading on January 02, 2025. "We are extremely pleased t

Stocks eyed a rebound Wednesday, with the blue-chip Dow looking to snap its longest losing streak since 1978