Major U.S. stock-indexes were slightly lower on Wednesday as investors awaited a key report by the Federal Reserve to gauge the health of the U.S. economy. Investors will wait until they get more clarity on presidential elections, the quality of third-quarter earnings and the timing of the next rate hike, Courtney said. While the Fed has been hinting at higher rates in the near-term, a recent set of weak economic data, including last week's jobs numbers, have muddied the outlook.

Most of Dow stocks in negative area (21 of 30). Top gainer - Caterpillar Inc. (CAT, +1.55%). Top loser - The Home Depot, Inc. (HD, -1.36%).

Most of S&P sectors also in negative area. Top gainer - Healthcare (+0.5%). Top loser - Conglomerates (-0.6%).

At the moment:

Dow 18478.00 -45.00 -0.24%

S&P 500 2179.00 -5.50 -0.25%

Nasdaq 100 4817.75 -9.75 -0.20%

Oil 45.51 +0.68 +1.52%

Gold 1348.10 -5.90 -0.44%

U.S. 10yr 1.54 +0.00