US equity markets retreated as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled that the strength of the economy could warrant some patience with future rate cuts.- Dow fell -207-points or 00.47%. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is preparing to launch an investigation into anti-competitive practices at Microsoft’s cloud computing business, as the US regulator continues to pursue Big Tech in the final days of Joe Biden’s presidency. The FTC is examining allegations that Microsoft is abusing its market power in productivity software by imposing punitive licensing terms to prevent customers from moving their data from its Azure cloud service to competitors’ platforms, said people with direct knowledge of the matter.