U.S. stock index futures trade near flat this Wednesday, while investors follow developments in the tension between the United States and Iran and await the release of the Federal Reserve’s June meeting minutes. Expectations about the path of U.S. interest rates remain the main factor for global markets, including the cryptocurrency sector.
Ahead of the Wall Street open, the S&P 500 futures contracts were steady at 7.551,25 points (0,00%). The Dow Jones futures slipped slightly to 53.132 points (-0,12%), while the Nasdaq 100 futures rose to 29.447 points (+0,19%). Meanwhile, the Russell 2000 recorded a small decline of 0,03%, to 2.998 points, indicating a market without a single direction.
The volatility index VIX, known as Wall Street's "fear index," rose 3,60%, reaching 16,13 points, signaling that some investors continue to adopt a more cautious stance in the face of geopolitical risks and expectations for U.S. monetary policy.
In the previous session, the Dow Jones closed the trading day down by more than 100 points after briefly renewing its all-time intraday high. The S&P 500 fell by about 0,5%, while the Nasdaq Composite retreated by approximately 1,2%, pressured mainly by semiconductor manufacturers' shares.
The market began to monitor more closely the conflict involving the United States and Iran after U.S. forces carried out a " powerful series of attacks " against Iran on Tuesday night, in response to attacks on three merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The incident raised concerns about possible impacts on the global economy and energy supply.
Those worries gained momentum after the U.S. Treasury Department revoked a license that allowed Iran to export oil to the international market. The decision increased fears of disruptions to the global supply of the commodity.
As a result, oil prices were moving higher strongly. The WTI contract for August 2026 was trading at US$ 72,42 per barrel, accumulating a rise of 2,81%, while gold was falling 0,60%, traded at US$ 4.132,30, a move that signals profit-taking after recent gains.
In the cryptocurrency market, the Bitcoin (BTC) was trading near US$ 62.504, recording a drop of 1,23% over the past 24 hours. The asset tracked an increase in caution among investors due to the combination of geopolitical uncertainties and expectations for new signals from the Federal Reserve about the next steps in interest rate policy.
Among the companies, SpaceX remained in the spotlight after its shares began trading below the IPO price following the listing on Nasdaq, allowing early investors to sell part of their stakes for funds. Despite the pressure on the shares, large financial institutions maintain positive outlooks for the company.
JPMorgan Chase set a price target of US$ 225 for the company's shares, while Morgan Stanley defined a projection of US$ 300, one of the highest among Wall Street analysts.
Attention is now focused on the release of the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s June meeting. The document is expected to provide more details about the discussions that led the monetary authority to keep interest rates unchanged at the first meeting chaired by Kevin Warsh, information that could influence the behavior of U.S. stocks, the dollar, commodities, and the cryptocurrency market over the next sessions.