Investors focused on the Fed's decision to leave interest rates unchanged and Chair Jerome Powell's news conference on Wednesday. Earnings from Meta and Microsoft were due after the closing bell.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the day 0.5% lower, or 204 points, while the S&P 500 closed with a 0.3% loss. The drop comes after the S&P 500 rose for six straight sessions. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.

U.S. equities are poised for gains at the open on Tuesday, with futures on the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all trending upward in pre-market activity. The advance follows a mixed but resilient close on Monday,

Stock index futures ticked up on Wednesday, as investors looked ahead to the FOMC decision and quarterly results from big tech firms.

S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures ticked higher on Tuesday as investors assessed earnings reports from some of the top U.S. companies, while Dow futures lost some steam following a gloomy outlook from heavyweight UnitedHealth.