WTF Dailies June 17, 2025

• US President Donald Trump has issued a cryptic warning on Truth Social, urging “everyone” to leave the Iranian capital as soon as possible, without confirming whether Washington will intervene in the ongoing tit-for-tat hostilities between Israel and Iran.
• The two states have been exchanging strikes since West Jerusalem bombed Iranian nuclear and military facilities last Friday, describing the move as a preemptive effort to halt Tehran’s alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons. Israel has also targeted civilian areas, causing casualties, and struck Iran’s state broadcaster on Monday. Iran, which denies seeking a military nuclear capability, said the airstrikes amounted to a declaration of war and retaliated with multiple volleys of ballistic missiles aimed at Israel.
• Oil prices resumed their upward climb and U.S. futures were lower early Tuesday after Israel’s military issued an evacuation warning to 330,000 people in Iran’s capital Tehran.
• The evacuation warning was for a part of Tehran, a city of 9.5 million, that houses the country’s state TV and police headquarters and three large hospitals, including one owned by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was returning from the G7 summit in Canada a day early due to the intensifying conflict.
• The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 0.3%.
• In Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index climbing 0.6% to 38,547.56 as the Japanese central bank opted to keep its key interest rate unchanged at 0.5%.
• The Bank of Japan has been gradually raising its rate from near zero and cutting back on its purchases of Japanese government bonds and other assets to help counter inflation. It said economic growth was likely to moderate and there was some weakness in consumer sentiment, housing investment.
• “In particular, it is extremely uncertain how trade and policies in each jurisdiction will evolve and how overseas activity and prices will react to them,” the BOJ's statement said.
• Chinese shares edged lower. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng slipped 0.1% to 24,038.56. The Shanghai Composite index declined 0.2% to 3,382.14.
• In South Korea, the Kospi gained 0.4% to 2,956.88.
• Australia's S&P/ASX 500 gave up 0.1% to 8,543.60. Taiwan's Taiex gained 0.6% and in Bangkok the SET was little changed.
• India's benchmark equity indice Sensex down 200 pts, Nifty below 24,900BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices up 0.3 percent each. Among sectors, realty index up 1 percent

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Market Close

• Wall Street ended Tuesday’s session in the red, pressured by escalating geopolitical tensions and disappointing retail sales data. Investor sentiment took a hit as the conflict between Israel and Iran stretched into its fifth day, fueling global uncertainty. At the same time, a weaker-than-expected U.S. retail sales report for May added to the unease, casting doubt on the strength of consumer spending and the broader economic outlook.
• At the close of trading the tech focused Nasdaq Composite fell the most as the index dropped 0.9%. At the same time, the benchmark S&P 500 (SP500) rounded out the session in the red as it handed back 0.8%, and the blue-chip Dow (DJI) also concluded lower by 0.7%.
• U.S. Treasury yields edged lower on the session, which reflected a cautious tone in the bond market. The shorter-end U.S. 2 Year Treasury yield (US2Y) moved down 2 basis points to 3.95% while the longer-end U.S. 10 Year Treasury yield (US10Y) pushed down by 5 basis point to 4.39%.
• Additionally, eyes were drawn back to the Middle East when President Trump demanded an “unconditional surrender” from Iran on Tuesday, adding: “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!,” in a Truth Social post.
• Over on the economic front, retail sales slumped in May and came in weaker than expected. At the same time U.S. export prices fell more than expected in May, and import price growth stalled. The June NAHB Housing Market Index drifted down to 32 in June from 34 in May.
• The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would establish the first federal framework for dollar-backed cryptocurrencies known as stablecoins, a major victory for an industry that has pushed for more favorable oversight in Washington, D.C. Though passage of the GENIUS Act in the upper chamber by a vote of 68-30 won’t yet make the new legislation law — it still needs approval from the House and President Trump — the crypto world is already lauding the bill’s swift progress as a major step

TThis daily briefing is curated from a wide range of reputable sources including news wires, research desks, and financial data providers. The insights presented here are a synthesis of key developments across global markets, intended to inform and spark thought.

No Investment Advice: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, recommendation, or endorsement.

Timing Note: Each edition is assembled based on the market context available at the time of writing. Timing, emphasis, and interpretations may vary depending on global developments and publishing windows.