The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.1% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 0.2% higher in Wednesday's premarket activity, ahead of the release of the Federal Reserve's meeting minutes.

US stock futures were also higher, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.1%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advancing 0.2%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.2% before the start of regular trading.

US mortgage applications fell 4.7% in the week ended Oct. 3 even as borrowing costs eased, Mortgage Bankers Association data showed Wednesday.

The EIA's weekly petroleum status report will be released at 10:30 am ET.

Minutes of the Federal Reserve's Sept. 16-17 policy session will be posted at 2 pm ET.

Federal Reserve officials Governor Michael Barr, Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari, and Chicago President Austan Goolsbee are slated to speak on Wednesday.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was up by 1.1%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 1.1% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) retreated 0.5%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) rose by 2.1%.

Power Play:

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) advanced 0.2%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.1% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 0.4%. Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) declined by 0.1%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) rose by 0.1%.

Confluent (CFLT) shares were up more than 17% in recent premarket activity amid reports that the company is considering a possible sale after attracting interest from tech companies and private equity firms.

Winners and Losers:

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) advanced 0.4% while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) were inactive.

Joby Aviation (JOBY) stock was down more than 10% before the opening bell after the company priced a public offering of 30.5 million shares at $16.85 each for estimated gross proceeds of about $513.9 million.

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) advanced 0.2%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 0.5%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 0.4% lower.

Iren (IREN) shares were down more than 3% pre-bell after the company said Tuesday it plans to offer $875 million in convertible senior notes due 2031 in a private placement to institutional buyers, with an option for initial purchasers to buy an additional $125 million.

Health Care

The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) advanced 0.1%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was up 0.5%, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) were inactive.

UniQure (QURE) stock was up more than 2% premarket after RBC raised its price target to $65 from $55 and maintained its outperform rating.

Consumer

The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) was up 0.1%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Fund (VDC) gained 0.2%. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive, and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) advanced 0.4%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) was 0.4% higher.

Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) shares were up nearly 1% pre-bell after the company filed for an offering of up to about 6.9 million common shares after issuing warrants as a special dividend to its existing stockholders.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was flat, while the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) was up by 0.2%.

Dragonfly Energy Holdings (DFLI) said Wednesday it has raised $28.75 million through an underwritten offering of 23 million shares at a public offering price of $1.25 per share. The company's stock was edging 0.7% lower premarket.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 1.4% to $62.59 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas gained 0.9% to reach $3.53 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) was 0.9% higher, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) advanced by 0.5%.

Gold futures for December rose 1.4% to $4,058.50 an ounce on the Comex, while silver futures were up by 2.4% at $48.65 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) advanced by 1.5%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 2.5% higher.