News Bulletin
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Morning Edition

Economic Numbers:

Time	Event	Actual	Forecast	Previous
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
8:30	Retail Sales (MoM) (May)		0.50%	0.50%
8:30	Core Retail Sales (MoM) (May)		0.60%	0.70%
9:30	U.S. President Trump Speaks
10:30	Crude Oil Inventories		-3.600M	-7.227M
10:30	Cushing Crude Oil Inventories			-0.801M
14:00	Fed Interest Rate Decision		3.75%	3.75%
14:00	FOMC Statement
14:00	FOMC Economic Projections
14:30	FOMC Press Conference

Indices

	CLOSE	50 DMA	200 DMA
DJIA	51,999.67	49,768.73	48,092.23
NASDAQ	26,376.34	25,395.45	23,479.84
S&P 500	7,511.35	7,285.30	6,893.04

Earnings Calendar:

(EPS: Earning Per Share / Rev: Revenue / Mkt Cap: market Capital/ BMO: Before Market Opening /AMC: After Market Close)

COMPANY	EPS Act	EPS Fore	Rev Act	Rev Fore	Mkt Cap	Time
Jabil Circuit JBL:US		2.88		8.01B	$32.99B	AM
CarMax KMX:US		1.02		7.27B	$6.58B	AM

Market News:

U.S. stock futures were broadly steady on Wednesday as investors geared up for a key Federal Reserve interest rate decision and tracked reports on the details of a preliminary Middle East peace agreement.

By 05:46 ET (09:46 GMT), the Dow futures contract was mostly unchanged, S&P 500 futures had inched up by 9 points, or 0.1%, and Nasdaq 100 futures had gained 185 points, or 0.6%.

"[I]t’s another ’no news is good news’ morning as stocks (mostly) witness an upward bias amid hope the Iran MOU-driven melt-up can continue for (at least) a few weeks longer," analysts at Vital Knowledge wrote in a note.

The main averages were mixed at the end of the previous session. The benchmark S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite both fell, while the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average notched a new record-high close.

Sentiment seemed be muted, with traders taking a breather following a busy start to the week which featured the announcement of an interim agreement to end the more than three-month war in the Middle East.

Fed decision ahead

Topping the agenda today will be the conclusion of a two-day Fed policy meeting. The central bank is expected to leave interest rates unchanged at a range of 3.5% to 3.75%, in what will be the first policy decision under new Chair Kevin Warsh.

An appointee of President Donald Trump, Warsh has been viewed as stuck between the White House’s persistent wish for aggressive rate reductions and signs of energy-induced inflationary pressures that could warrant borrowing cost hikes.

Warsh’s predecessor, Jerome Powell, frequently rebuffed Trump’s demands, drawing the ire of the president and sparking debate around the longstanding independence of the Fed from political influence. Powell has stayed on as a Fed governor, citing legal threats against him and the central bank.

With inflation appearing to cool at the beginning of the year, the Fed was widely anticipated to embark on a series of rate reductions in 2026. But the start of the joint U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran in late February, and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, caused an oil shock which sparked fears of a burst of price pressures.

Markets will also have a chance to parse through new quarterly economic projections from Fed officials, which could offer a gauge of the intensity of the internal debate over rates. Analysts at BofA Securities predicted that the outlook will show higher inflation, a lower unemployment rate and no rate cuts this year -- although they said "a few policymakers will likely project hikes."

U.S.-Iran framework details trickling out

A 14-point framework accord between the U.S. and Iran centers around a permanent ceasefire, including in Lebanon, the lifting of an American naval blockade, and the unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz, according to media reports.

The draft deal would also lay the groundwork for negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, which are currently due to begin after a formal signing ceremony of the deal on Friday, The New York Times reported.

One key provision includes immediate waivers for Iranian oil and petrochemical exports upon the signing, along with other financial incentives such as the unfreezing of Iranian assets and a roughly $300 billion regional reconstruction plan, Bloomberg News reported.

Tehran, for its part, would agree not to pursue a nuclear weapon and neutralize its nuclear material.

Crucially, as The Wall Street Journal noted, the financial relief for Iran appears to be tied to the country’s adherence to American demands to eradicate its enriched uranium stockpile and broader nuclear ambitions.

Against this backdrop, Brent crude prices carried on a multi-day descent, as traders prepared for the return of oil supplies to global markets following the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. By 06:01 ET, Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, had slid by 0.8% to $78.86 a barrel. The contract fell below $80 for the first time since March on Tuesday, yet is floating above pre-war levels.

SpaceX’s historic rally

Shares of SpaceX advanced by more than 3% in premarket U.S. trading, pointing to an extension in its post-flotation rally.

On Tuesday, Elon Musk’s rocket group rapidly scaled the list of the world’s most valuable companies, surged past e-commerce titan Amazon’s market valuation and briefly surpassing that of software giant Microsoft.

SpaceX ended the day up 4.83% at $201.80, giving the stock an implied market capitalization of approximately $2.65 trillion, about $8 billion above that of Amazon.

The move builds on an already historic run. SpaceX priced its initial public offering at $135 per share on June 12, in what was the largest public offering in history, raising $75 billion initially.

Tuesday’s close puts SpaceX up roughly 50% from its IPO price in just four trading sessions, a pace that has rattled even the most seasoned market observers.

Elsewhere, shares of chipmakers Intel and Broadcom rose before the opening bell, suggesting a recovery in semiconductor names after a tracker of the sector dropped to its second-worst day of the year in the prior session.

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