"US Stocks Maintain Gains Amid Rate-Cut Hopes: Market Update"

US stocks opened higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 inching up, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite led the early morning session. Investors remain optimistic about the prospect of interest rate cuts, despite warnings that these hopes may be overdone. The Federal Reserve officials have cautioned that it is premature to assume the central bank is done with rate hikes and signaled that its policy will be data-driven. Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan has decided to keep interest rates below zero. Investors are also monitoring oil prices as more companies avoid transits through the Red Sea after attacks on shipping in the important trade route.