On Friday, June 20, U.S. markets closed mixed amid heightened Iran-Israel tensions and uncertainty over possible U.S. involvement. Choppy trading, triple-witching volume, and inflation concerns weighed on sentiment. While the S&P dipped, the Nasdaq gained for the week. Tech megacaps dragged indices lower as investors remained cautious. Mixed Fed comments added to market unease over interest rate direction.
In economic data, the Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index held steady at minus 4.0 in June, matching the previous reading and falling short of the expected minus 1.
Most S&P 500 sectors fell Friday, led by health care, materials, and communications, while energy and consumer staples gained.
The Dow rose 0.08% to 42,206.82, the S&P 500 was down 0.22% to 5,967.84, and the Nasdaq dropped 0.51% to 19,447.41.
Asia Markets Today
On Monday, Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed 0.01% lower at 38,401.00, led by losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transport and Communication sectors.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.36% at 8,474.90.
India’s Nifty 50 was down 0.62% at 24,954.30, and the Nifty 500 declined 0.23% to 22,987.20.
China’s Shanghai Composite was up 0.65% at 3,381.58, and Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 rose 0.29% to 3,857.90.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed the session 0.67% higher at 23,689.13.
Eurozone at 05:45 AM ET
The European STOXX 50 index was down 0.27%.
Germany’s DAX index declined 0.44%.
France’s CAC 40 fell 0.48%.
U.K.’s FTSE 100 index traded lower by 0.01%.
Commodities at 05:45 AM ET
Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 0.99% at $74.58/bbl, and Brent was up 1.04% at $76.30/bbl.
Oil hit five-month highs as the U.S. joined Israel in striking Iran, raising supply fears. Prices later flattened as no disruptions occurred, but the risk premium persists amid Hormuz closure threats.
Natural gas rose 0.94% to $3.986.
Gold traded lower by 0.13% to $3,381.60, Silver rose 0.34% to $36.135, and Copper declined 0.67% to $4.8000.
U.S. Futures
At 05:45 AM ET, the Dow Jones futures rose 0.11%, the S&P 500 gained 0.22%, and the Nasdaq 100 was up 0.23%.
Forex
As of 05:45 AM ET, the U.S. Dollar Index gained 0.59% to 99.29, USD/JPY was up 1.19% to 147.84, and USD/AUD rose 1.12% to 1.5677
The U.S. dollar strengthened as investors sought safety amid Middle East tensions, especially after strikes on Iran. Moves were muted as markets awaited Iran’s response.
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