Stock futures pointed to a higher open Wednesday after the Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan reaffirmed plans to keep interest rates low. More than two hours before the start of trading, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 24 points higher at 10710. The S&P 500 futures advanced 3.9 points to 1158.8 and Nasdaq 100 futures gained four points to 1932.5. Changes in futures do not always accurately predict early market moves after the opening bell. On Tuesday, U.S. stocks rose after the Fed again said it would keep interest rates low for an extended period and as Standard & Poor's said it would not imminently downgrade Greece. While expectations are growing that next month the Fed may change its language to a slightly more hawkish posture, sentiment got a boost after the Bank of Japan doubled a loan program to $221 billion as it kept interest rates at 0.1%. Overseas markets were stronger in reaction to the central banks' decisions, with the Nikkei 225 up 1.2% in Tokyo and the Kospi Composite up 2.[Read more...]