Dow Jones Today: Stock Futures Inch Higher Ahead of Fed Rate Decision as Investors Track News on Israel-Iran Conflict

Jun 18, 2025
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Stocks moved slightly higher in early trading Wednesday as investors monitored developments in the escalating conflict in the Middle East and awaited the Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite were each up 0.3% about half an hour after the opening bell. Stocks slid on Tuesday on concerns that the fighting between Israel and Iran could turn into a broader conflict, amid reports that President Donald Trump is weighing the possibility of the U.S. providing additional military support to Israel.

Oil prices, which have surged in recent days amid concerns about possible supply disruptions, continued gaining ground on Wednesday. West Texas Intermediate Futures, the U.S. crude oil benchmark, were up 1.5% at $75.75 per barrel, trading at their highest level since January.

Global financial markets have been volatile since last Friday, when Israel first launched attacks on Iran, leading to several days of missile strikes by the countries on one another. Saber rattling between the U.S. and Iran in recent days has heightened the tension.

While market participants keep a close eye on geopolitical developments, they’re also preparing for the Fed’s announcement on interest rates, scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET. With the central bank widely expected to leave its benchmark rate unchanged, investors will be focused on the quarterly economic projections from the policy committee and what Chair Jerome Powell has to say about the outlook amid concerns that tariffs will spur inflation and weigh on economic activity.

Mega-cap tech stocks were mostly higher this morning. Tesla (TSLA) climbed about 2%, rebounding from the previous session’s 4% decline, while Apple (AAPL), Nvidia (NVDA), Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOG), Meta Platforms (META) and Broadcom (AVGO) each added less than 1%. while Microsoft (MSFT) was down slightly.

Bitcoin was at $104,100 this morning, down from an overnight high of $105,600.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which affects borrowing costs on all sorts of consumer and business loans, was at 4.37% recently, down from 4.39% at Tuesday’s close. The U.S. dollar index, which measures the performance of the dollar against a basket of foreign currencies, slipped 0.1% to 98.73, but was still well above the three-year low it hit last week of around 97.60.

Gold futures were up 0.1% at $3,410 an ounce this morning, stabilizing after a bumpy few days. The precious metal traded as high as $3,470 last Friday, near a record high, as some investors turned to the traditional safe haven amid the geopolitical uncertainty.

Nucor Rises as Steelmaker Issues Rosy Profit Forecast

18 minutes ago

Nucor (NUE) shares rose in early trading Wednesday after the steelmaker outlined better second-quarter profit projections than analysts had forecast.

The company said Wednesday morning that it expects second-quarter earnings per share to come in between $2.55 to $2.65, well above the current analyst consensus compiled by Visible Alpha of $2.21. In its first-quarter report in April, Nucor said it expected earnings to increase from the $0.67 per share it posted at the time, with improving profits across all three of its segments.

Nucor’s steel mills had a higher average selling price in the second quarter, while its division selling steel products is projected to report higher profits “due to a combination of stable overall pricing, higher volumes and lower average costs per ton.”

Nucor said it will release its second-quarter results after the bell on July 28, and hold an earnings call the next morning.

Analysts have grown more bullish on American steelmakers this year, expecting the Trump administration’s tariffs to raise prices in the industry and lead to higher profits in the sector.

Nucor shares were up more than 5% in recent trading, boosting its year-to-date gain to 10%.

Aaron McDade

SunRun Levels to Watch After Yesterday’s Sell-Off

1 hr 7 min ago

SunRun (RUN) shares continued losing ground in premarket trading Wednesday after plunging 40% yesterday to lead a steep sell-off in solar energy stocks following news the Senate maintained the full removal of clean-energy tax credits in its version of the budget bill.

The stock has lost three-quarters of its value since hitting its 52-week high last August, weighed down by uncertainty surrounding the sector caused be policy changes, a clouded regulatory outlook and reduced demand.

Since topping out in early 2021, SunRun shares have remained entrenched in a steady downtrend, with losses in the stock accelerating after the 50-week moving average (MA) crossed below the 200-week MA in September 2022 to form a death cross.

Source: TradingView.com.

More recently, a chart pattern that closely resembles a falling three methods has emerged, signaling a continuation of the stock’s long-term move lower. What’s more, the relative strength index has fallen back below its neutral threshold, confirming a resumption of selling momentum.

It’s also worth noting that trading volume has increased in recent weeks, indicating growing interest in the stock from both retail and institutional investors.

Investors should watch key support levels on SunRun’s chart around $4.75 and $4.33, while also monitoring important overhead areas near $8.50 and $13.25.

SunRun shares were down 2% at $5.66 in recent premarket trading.

Read the full technical analysis piece here.

Timothy Smith

Major Index Futures Little Changed Wednesday

1 hr 45 min ago

Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 0.1%.

TradingView

S&P 500 futures were also up 0.1%.

TradingView

Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.2%.

TradingView

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