Wall Street Today | Eyeware retailer Warby Parker ends debut with a 36% gain

Futures pointed to modest gains in Japan where the ruling party's new leader who is set to become the next prime minister is seen by investors as maintaining stability. Contracts edged higher in Australia and dipped in Hong Kong. U.S. futures edged higher. The $NASDAQ 100 Index (.NDX.US)$notched its third straight day of losses after earlier climbing about 1%. Dip buyers helped push the $S&P 500 Index (.SPX.US)$higher.

$Microsoft (MSFT.US)$shares have come under pressure this month, but even a rocky end to the third quarter of 2021 isn’t enough to erase what is set to be a record-setting streak of gains.

Shares of eyewear maker $Warby Parker (WRBY.US)$began trading at $54.05 Wednesday afternoon after the New York Stock Exchange set a reference price of $40 a share. The company opted to go public via a direct listing that will test the market appeal of the direct-to-consumer brand.

Dollar Tree said it would start selling products at $1.25 and $1.50 or other prices slightly above $1 in some of its stores. $Dollar Tree (DLTR.US)$gained 16.5% on Wednesday.

The Federal Aviation Administration cleared $Virgin Galactic (SPCE.US)$to return to flight on Wednesday after completing a mishap investigation into the spaceflight that carried Sir Richard Branson. The regulator had grounded the space tourism company’s operations earlier this month, after the FAA learned that the company’s spacecraft had deviated from its restricted airspace during the mission on July 11.