New Delhi, Dec. 10 -- Wall Street stocks were mixed on Wednesday as markets traded cautiously ahead of a Federal Reserve rate decision.

While the US central bank is widely expected to slash interest rates for a third straight time, investors are also bracing for a "hawkish cut".

As of 10:45 A.M. Eastern Time, the S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite was 0.4% lower.

At the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 13.7 points, or 0.03%, to 47,573.96. The S&P 500 fell 7.0 points, or 0.10%, to 6,833.49, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 40.5 points, or 0.17%, to 23,536.001.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury edged down to 4.17% from 4.18% late on Tuesda...