Fed expected to hold rates steady this week as rate hike talks heat up and US strikes a deal with Iran

June 17, 2026

Fed expected to hold rates steady this week as rate hike talks heat up and US strikes a deal with Iran

Breaking News

Image source: Pexels

Kevin Warsh will preside over his first interest rate-setting meeting as Federal Reserve chair on Wednesday, when the central bank is expected to hold rates steady.

All eyes will be on Warsh as Fed watchers try to discern his views, his personal credibility, and how he will position the Fed in the current landscape.

The committee is facing hotter inflation readings as the conflict in Iran has pushed inflation higher.

"While Warsh is generally perceived as dovish, he will inherit a committee that has become noticeably more hawkish," said Greg Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon.

"Warsh's first challenge will not be steering the committee toward easier policy, but demonstrating that his decisions are grounded in economic fundamentals rather than political considerations."

Inflation has persisted above the Fed's 2% target for more than five years.

The latest Consumer Price Index reported headline inflation breaching 4% in May — the highest level in three years — while prices businesses paid soared 6.5%. "Core" inflation, excluding energy prices, rose nearly 3%. Yahoo Finance reports.

EdgeUp

🛰️ SpaceX Heads Toward Fourth Day of Gains Since Record IPO

SpaceX shares are poised for a fourth straight day of gains, reinforcing the company's place among the world's largest after it surpassed Amazon.com Inc. by market value.

Shares of Elon Musk's rocket and AI company Space Exploration Technologies Corp. rose 4.5% in New York premarket trading Wednesday, signaling a slower pace of gains than previous sessions.

The company has rallied about 49% since going public through Tuesday's close, overtaking Amazon in value to become the fifth-largest stock in the world, and is now roughly $150 billion away from Microsoft Corp. Yahoo Finance reports.


📡 AST SpaceMobile Drops Premarket After SpaceX BlueBird 8-10 Launch

AST SpaceMobile shares fell in early U.S. premarket trade Wednesday.

This was after SpaceX said it had deployed three more BlueBird satellites for the company’s direct-to-cell network.

The service is supposed to connect regular mobile phones to satellites, with no extra hardware.

AST shares were recently quoted at $82.25 in premarket trade, off roughly 6% from where they finished Tuesday.

Premarket action happens ahead of Nasdaq’s 9:30 a.m. open. At that price, AST’s market cap stood near $23.9 billion. Yahoo Finance reports.


📱 Why Is AST SpaceMobile Stock Gaining Wednesday?

AST SpaceMobile Inc. stock rose more than 6% in Wednesday’s premarket session after the company successfully launched three more BlueBird satellites, marking another milestone in the buildout of its space-based cellular broadband network.

The move outpaced the broader market, with S&P 500 futures up just 0.1%, suggesting the rally was driven by company-specific news rather than broader market sentiment. Benzinga reports.


🤖 Micropolis Robotics Expands Physical AI Portfolio with Abu Dhabi Government. Stock soars in pre-market

Micropolis AI Robotics, a leading UAE-based developer of autonomous mobile robots and AI-enabled systems, today announced a five-year agreement with the Department of Municipalities and Transport in Abu Dhabi for the design, production, deployment, operation, and maintenance of a Physical AI-powered autonomous urban cleaning ecosystem.

The agreement marks another significant milestone in the adoption of Physical AI technologies across public infrastructure and municipal services.

The project will commence with an initial deployment of AI-powered autonomous sweepers, creating the foundation for broader implementation of intelligent robotic services across Abu Dhabi's urban environments. Globe Newswire reports.


🔧 Why Is Amkor Technology Stock Soaring Wednesday?

Amkor Technology Inc. stock climbed nearly 6% in Wednesday’s premarket session after the company announced a long-term partnership with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. to expand advanced semiconductor packaging capacity in the United States.

Broader market sentiment also supported the move. Ahead of the opening bell, Nasdaq futures gained 0.65%, while S&P 500 futures rose 0.15%.

Dow futures were little changed. The positive backdrop added to the momentum following the partnership announcement. Benzinga reports.

Top 5 Movers in Early Pre-Market

(All pricing and percent gains are based on Early Pre-Market from 4:00 AM to 7:00 AM ET). Stock Analysis reports.

1) EHGO: Eshallgo Inc.
Total gain: +210.61%

2) CLWT: Euro Tech Holdings Company Limited
Total gain: +160.00%

3) LNAI: Lunai Bioworks Inc.
Total gain: +58.52%

4) SDOT: Sadot Group Inc.
Total gain: +45.56%

5) CLPT: ClearPoint Neuro, Inc.
Total gain: +40.93%

Yesterday’s Biggest Movers

The closing price of the top three market percent gainers trading near or above $3 on June 16.

(All pricing and percent gains are based on regular market trading hours from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM ET)
Stock Analysis reports.


1) SLBT: SL Science Holding Limited
Total gain: +166.97%
The stock appeared to be moving on no notable news.

2) CRVO: CervoMed Inc.
Total gain: +82.26%
The stock appeared to be moving on no notable news.

3) LPRO: Open Lending Corporation
Total gain: +48.10%
The company announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby ANV will acquire all outstanding shares of Open Lending common stock for $3.15 per share through an all-cash tender offer. The transaction price represents a premium of approximately 78% to Open Lending's 90-day volume weighted average price (VWAP) as of June 15, 2026, the last trading day prior to the announcement of the transaction. The offer provides compelling and immediate value for Open Lending stockholders. Globe Newswire reports.

Today’s Notable Earnings

(Estimate and Actual numbers represent Earnings Per Share in US Dollars)

JBL: Jabil
Q3 2026
Before Market Open
Estimate: 3.090
Actual: N/A

KMX: CarMax
Q1 2027
Before Market Open
Estimate: 0.940
Actual: N/A

SB: Safe Bulkers
Q1 2026
After Market Close
Estimate: 0.110
Actual: N/A

Today’s Economic Dates

Time (ET) / Report / Period

8:30 AM - U.S. retail sales - May
8:30 AM - Retail sales minus autos - May
10:00 AM - Pending home sales - May

Parting Thoughts

“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”

– Seneca

Sourced in: Letters from a Stoic — GoodReads.

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