Stocks Set to Open Sharply Higher as Oil Sinks on U.S.-Iran Deal, Fed Meeting Awaited

June S&P 500 E-Mini futures (ESM26) are up +1.22%, and June Nasdaq 100 E-Mini futures (NQM26) are up +1.99% this morning, pointing to a sharply higher open on Wall Street as oil prices sank after the U.S. and Iran reached an interim peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen on Friday, allowing time “for purposes of mine removal.” In an earlier post, Mr. Trump said the strait would reopen “toll-free” and that the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports would be lifted simultaneously. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the agreement would be officially signed on Friday in Switzerland. Bloomberg reported on Monday that Qatar will host U.S. and Iranian delegations this week to finalize the details of the signing and prepare for a new round of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. Trump told the New York Times that if a nuclear agreement is not reached, he could resume military strikes.

The price of WTI crude sank more than -5% on Monday. Treasuries rose across the curve as lower oil prices eased inflation concerns, prompting traders to dial back expectations for a Fed rate hike.

This week, market participants look ahead to the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision and a fresh batch of U.S. economic data.

In Friday’s trading session, Wall Street’s major equity averages ended in the green. Chip and AI infrastructure stocks climbed, with Arm Holdings (ARM) surging over +11% to lead gainers in the Nasdaq 100 and Seagate Technology Holdings (STX) rising more than +7%. Also, airline stocks advanced as oil prices slid, with Southwest Airlines (LUV) and United Airlines (UAL) gaining more than +2%. In addition, SpaceX (SPCX) jumped over +19% after its record-breaking IPO. On the bearish side, Adobe (ADBE) fell more than -6% and was the top percentage loser on the Nasdaq 100 after the company announced that its chief financial officer would depart, overshadowing its better-than-expected FQ2 results and FQ3 guidance.

Economic data released on Friday showed that the University of Michigan’s preliminary U.S. consumer sentiment index rose to 48.9 in June, stronger than expectations of 46.1. Also, the University of Michigan’s U.S. June year-ahead inflation expectations unexpectedly eased to 4.6% from 4.8% in May, and 5-year implied inflation expectations eased to 3.4% from 3.9% in May.

“In keeping with the recent easing in oil and gas prices, the pullback in consumers’ short- and long-term inflation expectations offers some relief from a monetary policy standpoint. However, the inflation metrics remain elevated versus pre-war levels and in a broader historical context,” said Vail Hartman at BMO Capital Markets.

The Fed’s interest rate decision will take center stage in this holiday-shortened week. The Fed convenes on June 16-17 for the first meeting to be chaired by new Chairman Kevin Warsh. The central bank is widely expected to keep the Fed funds rate unchanged in a range of 3.50% to 3.75%, but the outlook is less certain. Much of policymakers’ debate will be focused on mounting concerns about persistent inflation, as higher energy costs gradually filter through to other goods and services. Investors will be watching for any signals on whether a rate hike is likely. Economists expect the FOMC to remove the so-called “easing bias” from its post-meeting statement and instead signal that its next policy move is just as likely to be a hike or eliminate the line in question altogether. Investors will also focus on how Warsh communicates at the press conference. In addition, the Fed will release updated projections for the economy along with its “dot plot” interest-rate forecasts, and there is speculation that Warsh may choose not to submit his dots to signal his opposition to so-called forward guidance.

Market watchers will also monitor U.S. economic data this week. U.S. Retail Sales data for May will be the main highlight, offering insight into how consumers have held up amid the Middle East conflict. Other noteworthy data releases include the Import Price Index, the Export Price Index, Building Permits (preliminary), Housing Starts, Pending Home Sales, the Philly Fed Manufacturing Index, Initial Jobless Claims, and the Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index.

In addition, IT and consulting company Accenture (ACN), grocery store operator Kroger (KR), and supplier of electronic parts Jabil (JBL) are slated to release their quarterly results this week.

On Friday, U.S. stock and bond markets will be closed for Juneteenth.

Today, investors will focus on U.S. Industrial Production and Manufacturing Production data, set to be released in a couple of hours. Economists project Industrial Production to rise +0.3% m/m and Manufacturing Production to rise +0.3% m/m in May, compared to the April figures of +0.7% m/m and +0.6% m/m, respectively.

The New York Fed-compiled Empire State Manufacturing Index will also be released today. Economists expect the June figure to come in at 13.2, compared to 19.6 in May.

In the bond market, the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note is at 4.45%, down -0.85%.

The Euro Stoxx 50 Index is up +1.09% this morning as sentiment got a boost after the U.S. and Iran agreed to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Luxury, automobile, and travel stocks led the gains on Monday. At the same time, energy stocks underperformed as oil prices sank. Data from Eurostat released on Monday showed that Eurozone monthly industrial production edged higher in April as factories raced to fulfill orders placed by customers seeking to avoid price increases and shortages caused by the Middle East conflict. Meanwhile, European Central Bank Governing Council member Joachim Nagel said on Monday that there would be no immediate relief from the energy-driven surge in inflation even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens soon, as it will take months for oil supply to return to pre-war levels, adding that the bank was “keeping all options open” for its meeting next month. Investor focus this week is on the monetary policy decision from the Bank of England. The BoE is widely expected to leave rates unchanged at 3.75%. Sweden’s Riksbank and Norway’s Norges Bank will also announce their interest-rate decisions this week, with both central banks widely expected to keep borrowing costs steady. Beyond monetary policy, attention will center on final Eurozone inflation data for May, Germany’s ZEW economic sentiment index for June, and the ECB’s wage tracker. In corporate news, Renault (RNO.FP) rose over +4% after the carmaker said it would build a military vehicle in partnership with defense technology company Thales.

Eurozone’s Trade Balance and Industrial Production data were released today.

Eurozone’s April Trade Balance came in at -1.0 billion euros, weaker than expectations of 7.8 billion euros.

Eurozone’s April Industrial Production rose +0.1% m/m, weaker than expectations of +0.2% m/m.

Asian stock markets today closed in the green. China’s Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP) closed up +1.61%, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Index (NIK) closed up +4.99%.

China’s Shanghai Composite Index closed higher today, tracking gains across Asian markets after the U.S. and Iran reached an interim peace agreement. 5G Communication and AI-related stocks outperformed on Monday. Wee Khoon Chong, APAC Macro Strategist at BNY, said, “Risk sentiment improved sharply on Monday following the weekend announcement of a U.S.-Iran peace agreement. The development is supporting equities, and AI-led equity optimism remains intact.” Meanwhile, global ratings agency Fitch on Monday reaffirmed China’s long-term sovereign rating at “A” with a stable outlook, citing its large and diversified economy. In other news, Reuters reported on Monday that Chinese technology company ByteDance was in discussions with Iluvatar CoreX to buy AI chips for inference workloads and was also considering a similar deal with Baidu. In corporate news, Zhipu AI jumped over +32% in Hong Kong after the AI agent developer announced unrestricted access to its latest model. Investor attention this week is on a raft of China’s activity indicators for May, which will offer the latest assessment of the world’s second-largest economy. Retail sales are expected to decline from a year earlier, while industrial production is projected to accelerate modestly. Investors will also closely watch fixed-asset investment, property investment, and residential sales data.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Index closed sharply higher today, hitting a new record high after the U.S. and Iran reached a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The benchmark index surpassed the 69,000 mark for the first time. Technology and AI-related stocks led the gains on Monday, with Kioxia Holdings surging about +12% and SoftBank Group climbing over +10%. The rally was also supported by gains in U.S. tech stocks on Friday, where Elon Musk’s SpaceX popped in its Nasdaq debut. Also, construction and automobile stocks jumped. The advance came as oil prices dropped, easing inflation concerns and reducing cost pressures for major energy-importing nations such as Japan. The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would be a major step toward easing a supply chain crisis that has burdened Asian manufacturers since the conflict began. Before the war, Japan sourced more than 90% of its oil imports from the Middle East, and the blockade triggered production cuts and price increases across the petrochemical industry. Investor focus now turns to the Bank of Japan’s monetary policy decision. The central bank is widely expected to raise its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 1.00% on Tuesday, continuing its gradual normalization cycle. That would mark its first interest-rate hike since December, lifting its benchmark rate to the highest level since 1995. In addition, investors will be closely watching Japan’s May trade and inflation data due later this week. The Nikkei Volatility Index, which takes into account the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, closed down -6.71% to 34.78.

Pre-Market U.S. Stock Movers

Chip and AI infrastructure stocks surged in pre-market trading, with Micron Technology (MU) climbing over +7% and Marvell Technology (MRVL) rising about +5%.

The Magnificent Seven stocks advanced in pre-market trading, with Amazon.com (AMZN) and Nvidia (NVDA) gaining more than +2%.

Cryptocurrency-exposed stocks climbed as Bitcoin rebounded toward the $66K level. Strategy (MSTR) was up over +5%. Also, Coinbase (COIN) and MARA Holdings (MARA) were up more than +4%.

Paramount Skydance (PSKY) rose over +3% in pre-market trading after the Justice Department approved Paramount’s $81 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Energy stocks fell in pre-market trading as oil prices slumped. Sempra (SRE) was down over -4%. Also, Occidental Petroleum (OXY) and ConocoPhillips (COP) were down more than -2%.

You can see more pre-market stock movers here

Today’s U.S. Earnings Spotlight: Monday - June 15th

Korn Ferry (KFY), PowerFleet (AIOT), Ennis (EBF), Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (PLAY), RF Industries (RFIL), Quantum (QMCO), Comtech Telecommunications (CMTL), Coda Octopus Group (CODA), Domo, Inc. (DOMO).