{"id":3264,"date":"2025-06-18T14:02:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T14:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/dow-sp-500-open-flat-ahead-of-feds-rate-decision\/"},"modified":"2025-06-18T14:02:05","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T14:02:05","slug":"dow-sp-500-open-flat-ahead-of-feds-rate-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/dow-sp-500-open-flat-ahead-of-feds-rate-decision\/","title":{"rendered":"Dow, S&P 500 open flat ahead of Fed\u2019s rate decision"},"content":{"rendered":"

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U.S. stocks looked to edge higher on Wednesday as the market pondered the next steps ahead of the Federal Reserve\u2019s interest rate decision and the unfolding Israel-Iran conflict.<\/p>\n

The Dow Jones Industrial Average hovered near 42,246, up 30 points at the open, while the benchmark U.S. index S&P 500 held near record highs with a gain of 0.01%. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite was flat, up just 0.01%. All three major indices were slightly in the green but remained constrained as the Middle East conflict weighed heavily on investor confidence.<\/p>\n

Israel-Iran war weighs on markets<\/h2>\n

While stocks looked to hold onto recent gains, markets lacked upside conviction. On Wednesday, Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that the country would not surrender to Israel.<\/p>\n

The Iranian leader\u2019s comments came after President Donald Trump posted<\/a> that Iran had to surrender unconditionally, with speculation rife that the United States is set to join the conflict.<\/p>\n

Khamenei warned that U.S. involvement would be \u201cto its own detriment.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The US entering in this matter [war] is 100% to its own detriment. The damage it will suffer will be far greater than any harm that Iran may encounter.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 18, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

U.S. Treasury yields hovered largely unchanged amid this backdrop, with the benchmark 10-year Treasury note at 4.385% and the 2-year at 3.948%. Oil prices continued to climb following Israel\u2019s surprise attack on Iran, which escalated into further hostilities, with Iran striking Tel Aviv and other locations inside Israel.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, weakness across risk assets has seen cryptocurrencies swing lower, led by Bitcoin(BTC), which gave up gains from above $108,000 to below $105,000.<\/p>\n

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Investors await Fed\u2019s rate decision<\/h2>\n

As well as the Middle East conflict, investors will be keen on the Fed\u2018s policy decision later on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chair Jerome Powell, under mounting pressure from Trump in recent months to cut rates, is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. ET. Consensus is that the central bank will hold rates steady, but attention will be on the so-called \u201cdot plot,\u201d which offers insight into whether the Fed\u2019s previously projected two rate cuts are still on the table.<\/p>\n

Investors are also digesting the latest data on weekly jobless claims.<\/p>\n

Details from the Department of Labor<\/a> showed weekly claims continue to hover near an 8-month high, with 245,000 initial jobless claims filed in the past week, slightly off the expected 250,000 in the week ending June 7.<\/p>\n

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