Markets opened today with a hopeful mood: investors are increasingly confident that both the U.S. Federal Reserve and Bank of Canada will deliver rate cuts soon. The rate cut expectations aren’t just whispers—markets have priced in a 25-basis-point cut from the Fed at their September 16-17 meeting, with BoC likely to follow with a 0.25% cut on September 17. Reuters+2Reuters+2

Markets opened today with a mix of cautious optimism and profit taking, underpinned by growing conviction that the U.S. Federal Reserve will begin cutting interest rates soon. Key data points have added to this sentiment:

Markets in the U.S. traded with palpable optimism today, buoyed by strong expectations that the Federal Reserve will follow through with a rate cut at its September 17–18 meeting. A Reuters poll released earlier confirmed this: almost all economists surveyed expect a 25 basis-point cut next week, with many forecasting at least one further reduction before year-end. Reuters

North American equities opened to a cautious bid and, through the session, chopped higher as traders weighed softer macro signals against a still-resilient earnings backdrop. The big thematic driver remains rate-cut anticipation: cooler labor indicators and moderating inflation have kept odds of a policy move in play, supporting duration-sensitive parts of the equity market.

Markets opened to a mix of quiet optimism and pre-event jitters across North America as investors weighed a heavy week of macro catalysts against a handful of company-specific headlines. U.S. equity futures were little changed before the bell, even as the Nasdaq hovered near record territory and traders continued to price in a rate cut from the Federal Reserve next week. In Canada, commodities firmed and Bank of Canada cut hopes kept a gentle bid under TSX futures, while the Toronto Stock Exchange rolled out its annual TSX30 list of top performers. Barron’sReutersETF Database

Wall Street is showing signs of life today, with equity futures ticking higher across the board. Momentum is building on increased odds of a Federal Reserve rate cut, sparked by weak nonfarm payroll data and dovish commentary from policy strategists.