US stocks open higher with Trump's Middle East decision in focus
U.S. stocks are drifting higher on Friday in their return to trading following the Juneteenth holiday.
ADVERTISEMENT The S&P 500 was up 0.4% in early trading and adding to its modest gain for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 162 points, or 0.4%, as of 9:35 am. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.6% higher.
Treasury yields were also edging higher in the bond market after President Donald Trump said he will decide within two weeks whether the U.S. military will get directly involved in Israel's fighting with Iran. The window offers the possibility of a negotiated settlement over Iran's nuclear program that could avoid increased fighting.
The conflict has sent oil prices yo-yoing because of rising and ebbing fears that it could disrupt the global flow of crude. Iran is a major producer of oil and also sits on the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which much of the world's crude passes.
On Wall Street, Kroger jumped 6.8% to help lead the market after the grocer reported a better profit for the latest quarter than Wall Street had forecast. It also raised its forecast for an underlying measure of revenue for the full year. Chief Financial Officer David Kennerley said it's seeing positive momentum, but it's still seeing an uncertain overall economic environment. CarMax rose 4.6% after the auto dealer reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company said it sold nearly 6% more used autos during the quarter than it did a year earlier.
ADVERTISEMENT On the losing end of Wall Street was Smith & Wesson Brands, the maker of guns. It tumbled 15.3% after reporting profit and revenue for the latest quarter that fell just shy of analysts' expectations.Chief Financial Officer Deana McPherson said 'persistent inflation, high interest rates, and uncertainty caused by tariff concerns' have been hurting sales for firearms, and the company expects demand in its upcoming fiscal year to be similar to this past year's, depending on how inflation and Trump's tariffs play out.
ADVERTISEMENT A spate of companies has been adjusting or even withdrawing their financial forecasts for the year because of all the uncertainty that tariffs are creating for their customers and for their suppliers. Everyone is waiting to see how big the tariffs will ultimately be.It's not just corporate America. The Federal Reserve has been keeping its main interest rate on hold this year, with its latest such decision coming earlier this week, because it's waiting to see exactly by how much tariffs will grind down on the economy and push up inflation.
ADVERTISEMENT In the bond market, Treasury yields edged higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.41% from 4.38% late Wednesday. The two-year yield, which more closely tracks expectations for what the Fed will do, was holding at 3.94%.In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across much of Europe after finishing mixed in Asia.
ADVERTISEMENT Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index edged 0.2% lower after Japan reported that its core inflation rate, excluding volatile food prices, rose to 3.7% in May, adding to challenges for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's government and the central bank.
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Indian Express
11 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Of the three planned freight corridors, East-coast corridor is on the priority for approval: DFCCIL MD
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Economic Times
32 minutes ago
- Economic Times
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India's benchmark equity indices snapped a three-day losing streak to end more than 1% higher on Friday, lifted by short-covering ahead of next week's monthly derivatives expiry and US president Donald Trump deferring his decision to join Israel's attack on Iran. Adding to the new market momentum were two significant semi-annual index rebalances: the Sensex and London's FTSE, according to Abhilash Pagaria, head of Nuvama Alternative & Quantitative Research. Siemens Energy is set to be dropped from the MSCI Global Standard Index, which could spark an estimated $210 million outflow. Since it's also part of the Nifty 50, an additional $50 million in outflows is anticipated from that front. In contrast, Tata Group fashion retailer Trent Ltd and state-run Bharat Electronics Ltd are set to replace Nestle and IndusInd Bank on the Sensex, potentially drawing in fresh investments. Meanwhile, the FTSE reshuffle is expected to bring in around $150 million into India, primarily due to the inclusion of Vishal Mega Mart. 'The market is like a person whose average temperature is fine as one leg is in cold water and the other leg is in boiling water,' said Nilesh Shah, managing director of Kotak Mahindra AMC. He said that stable domestic macros are currently outweighing geopolitical uncertainty. And, since the valuation of Indian equities is unlikely to be rated further up from here, Shah believes investor returns will come from earnings growth moving ahead. On Friday, both Nifty 50 and S&P BSE Sensex closed 1.3% higher at 25,112.40 and82,408.17points, respectively. Gains in Nifty 50 were led by a surge in heavyweight stocks such as HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel, and ICICI Bank. The Nifty 50 finally broke past the 25,000-mark on Friday, a level that had acted as a key resistance. With the index closing firmly above it, Kkunal Parar, vice-president at Choice Equity Broking, sees room for further gains, possibly up to 25,300 points. 'If momentum holds and the index surpasses that level', he believes Indian equities could be on track for a fresh high. Meanwhile, Nifty Smallcap 250 ended the day 0.6% higher and Nifty Midcap 100 surged 1.5%. A 2 June report from Morgan Stanley highlights the resilience of Indian markets, noting that 'market wants to go up, not down.' Since September 2024, the market has absorbed a wave of negative developments—from stretched valuations in small- and mid-caps and a broad-based correction, to concerns over slowing macro growth and earnings, US tariff-related volatility, and even a major terrorist attack followed by India's response. Yet, large-cap indices remain just about 5% below all-time highs, 'and almost negligible changes in implied volumes,' the report said. Israel and Iran continue to exchange fire after Israel launched strikes on Iran's military and nuclear sites on 13 June, drawing a retaliation from the Islamic nation and ratcheting up geopolitical tensions. Both Israel and the US want Iran to abandon its nuclear programme, and Trump has deferred his decision on attacking Iran by two weeks, opening a potential negotiating window. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net buyers on Friday, picking up ₹ 7,940.70 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) booked profits with net sales of ₹ 3,049.88 crore, according to BSE provisional data. Over the past week, both FIIs and DIIs emerged as net buyers, with inflows of ₹ 1,209.57 crore and ₹ 18,726.90 crore, respectively, according to NSDL data. Overall cash levels of the mutual fund industry remain elevated, particularly concentrated within three asset management companies (AMCs), as per an Elara Capital report dated 17 June. 'It is important to understand that this is not a short-term tactical move but a strategic positioning reflecting caution on current market valuations—especially in the Mid and Smallcap segments.' The report highlighted that almost 25% of the total cash in the system is held by only 4 schemes and 50% by 18 schemes. And most of these schemes have maintained elevated cash level for more than a year. Rather than channeling funds into the secondary market, fund managers are increasingly turning to the primary market, where issuance activity has seen a notable resurgence since May 2025, the report pointed out. Still, some amount of caution continues to linger among investors, considering the ongoing conflict in West Asia. market experts said. A flare-up in tensions could drive up crude oil prices and heighten volatility, quickly souring the overall investor sentiment.
