Opening Comment — Monday, June 15, 2026
DJIA: 51,202.26, up 353.51
S&P 500: 7,431.46, up 37.16
NASDAQ: 25,888.84, up 79.18
Stocks higher after peace deal announcement
Stock futures are higher Monday morning following news that the U.S. and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire extension that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with the formal signing scheduled to occur on Friday. Investors are awaiting today’s key economic releases, including data on May’s industrial production and capacity utilization, along with a gauge of homebuilder sentiment for June. Market participants are also looking ahead to this week’s flurry of central bank meetings, headlined by the Federal Reserve’s (Fed’s) meeting ending on Wednesday, with comments from new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh and an updated Summary of Economic Projections due. As of 7:17 AM ET, the Dow is rising 1.0%, while the S&P 500 is up 1.3%. The Nasdaq 100 is increasing 2.1% relative to fair value on the GLOBEX.
U.S. equities were higher on Friday as the University of Michigan’s preliminary June reading of consumer sentiment rose more than projected and the measures of one- and 5-10-year inflation expectations eased to 4.6% and 3.4%, respectively. The Dow was up 0.7%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.3%. The S&P 500 increased 0.5% with 10 of 11 sectors finishing in positive territory. The Materials sector was the top performer, rising 1.8%, while the Health Care sector was the bottom performer, falling 0.2%.
On the data front, the New York Fed will release their Empire State Manufacturing Survey for June, with the headline general business conditions index expected to fall to 13.5 from the prior month’s 19.6. Industrial production is forecasted to have increased 0.3% month-over-month (MOM) in May, compared to the prior month’s increase of 0.7%, while capacity utilization is projected to have risen to 76.2% from the prior month’s 76.1%. The National Association of Home Builders’ Housing Market Index is forecasted to come in at 37 for June, unchanged from the prior reading.
Across the pond, European stocks are higher in mid-day trading as Rightmove’s measure of British house prices for June decreased by 0.6% MOM and 0.5% year-over-year (YOY). Germany’s May Wholesale Price Index decreased 0.6% MOM and increased 5.9% YOY. The eurozone industrial production recorded a 0.1% MOM rise, matching expectations, and a weaker-than-expected 0.3% YOY increase in April. The bloc’s trade surplus widened in April following a downward revision to the previous month’s surplus.
Overnight in Asia, stocks were higher as Japan’s Tertiary (service) Industry Index showed a greater-than-expected increase of 1.3% MOM in April.
In FOREX trading, the U.S. dollar is lower ahead of several central bank meetings this week, including those of the Fed, the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, the Swiss National Bank, Norges (Norway’s) Bank, Sweden’s Riksbank, and Bank Indonesia.
Over in the commodity pits, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is 5.2% lower at $80.47/barrel.
In the metals complex, gold is 2.8% higher at $4,337.96/ounce following a weakening U.S. dollar.