5 things to know before the stock market opens Monday

Here are the most important news items that investors need to start their trading day:

Stock futures inched higher as investors looked ahead to this week’s Federal Reserve meeting. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures added 0.03%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures ticked up 0.09% and 0.16%, respectively. Traders are widely expecting the Fed to keep interest rates the same. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool, which gauges pricing in the fed funds futures market, lists a 99% chance that when the rate decision is released on Wednesday, the Fed stays put and there’s just a 31% probability of a hike in November. Nonetheless, investors will be eager to get a better idea of the central bank’s stance on inflation from here. Follow live market updates.