Key Takeaways
- Ceasefire between Israel and Iran sparks risk-on sentiment, easing geopolitical pressure on global markets.
- Federal Reserve remains cautious, with policymakers awaiting more clarity on tariffs before shifting rates.
- Bitcoin climbs past $106K, supported by improved overall economic environment and revived investor appetite.
- Gold steadies near $3,327, while oil tumbles as Middle East calm eases supply concerns and dampens inflation fears.
Global markets rallied on Wednesday, driven by easing geopolitical tensions and signs of policy support, which prompted investors to shift towards riskier assets, including technology stocks and cryptocurrencies. A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran, brokered by the United States and Qatar, helped send oil prices sharply lower and lifted sentiment across equities.
On the policy level, Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari stated that the central bank is in a wait-and-see mode as it assesses the potential inflationary impact of proposed tariffs.
Speaking in Wisconsin, Kashkari said the Fed is taking time to evaluate how trade policy developments will influence the broader economy before making any changes to its policy outlook.
He noted that while the fundamentals of the U.S. economy remain strong and inflation appears to be easing, uncertainty around tariffs has prompted some firms to delay investment. Kashkari added that rate cuts could be considered if the labor market weakens significantly, though he emphasized that such a move is not currently his base case.
Global Indices
- S&P 500: 6,092.19 (+1.11%)
- Dow Jones Industrial Average: 43,089.02 (+1.19%)
- Nasdaq Composite: 19,912.53 (+1.43%)
- Nikkei 225 Futures: 38,830.00 (+0.05%)
- Euronext 100: 1,568.60 (+0.82%)
- FTSE 100: 8,787.60 (+0.07%)
Cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin (BTC): 106,241.00 (+0.21%)
- Ethereum (ETH): 2,431.29 (–0.55%)
- Solana (SOL): 163.35 (–1.88%)
- Binance Coin (BNB): 644.82 (+0.20%)
Commodities
- Gold: 3,327.14 (+0.12%)
- Silver: 35.941 (+0.07%)
- WTI Crude Oil: 65.10 (+0.31%)
- Brent Crude Oil: 66.07 (+1.08%)
Individual Stocks
- NVIDIA (NVDA): 147.90 (+2.59%)
- Tesla (TSLA): 340.47 (–2.35%)
- Microsoft (MSFT): 490.11 (+0.85%)
- Meta Platforms (META): 712.20 (+1.96%)
- Apple (AAPL): 200.30 (–0.60%)
- Amazon (AMZN): 212.77 (+2.06%)
Forex
- EUR/USD: 1.1612 (+0.03%)
- GBP/USD: 1.36149 (+0.01%)
- USD/JPY: 145.01 (+0.08%)
Market Wrap-Up
U.S. equities extended gains on Tuesday as easing geopolitical risks and cautious signals from the Federal Reserve supported investor confidence. Technology stocks outperformed, Bitcoin rallied above $106,000, and oil prices fell sharply following a ceasefire agreement in the Middle East. Market participants remain focused on trade policy developments and upcoming Fed signals to gauge the timing of potential rate cuts.
