(US Stocks: Wed 17/09/14 19:42:22)

NEW YORK (Sept 17): U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Wednesday, ahead of a key statement by the Federal Reserve which is expected to provide clues on the next monetary policy move by the U.S. central bank.

The S&P posted its best performance in a month Tuesday and the Dow industrials set a record intraday high amid wavering expectations regarding the Fed's stance.

The Fed is expected to offer fresh indications on how soon it plans to begin lifting interest rates as it prepares for a shift in stance after years of easy monetary policy.

U.S.-traded shares of Sony Corp fell 10.6 percent in premarket trading after it estimated a bigger loss and said it would not pay a dividend this fiscal year for the first time since it listed in 1958.

Shares of Rackspace Hosting slumped 20.5 percent a day after the cloud management services provider said it would not sell itself.

Futures snapshot at 7:35 a.m. EDT (1135 GMT):

S&P 500 e-minis were up 0.5 points, or 0.03 percent, with 83,057 contracts changing hands.

Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 2.75 points, or 0.07 percent, in volume of 3,276 contracts.

Dow e-minis were up 9 points, or 0.05 percent, with 3,898 contracts changing hands.