Commodities
Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Higher Pre-Bell Wednesday Amid Easing US-Iran Tensions
The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.4%, and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) advanced 0.8% in Wednesday's premarket activity, amid easing tensions between the US and Iran.US stock futures were also higher, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.4%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advancing 0.2%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.6% before the start of regular trading.Mortgage applications rose by 1% in the week ended June 19 due to a small gain in refinancing activity, partially offset by a modest drop in new home applications as 30-year fixed mortgage rates decreased slightly, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data released Wednesday.New home sales activity for May will be released at 10:00 am ET, followed by the weekly crude oil stocks data at 10:30 am ET.In premarket action, bitcoin was up by 0.7%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 0.6% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) advanced 0.6%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was flat.Power Play:IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI) advanced 1%, while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) gained 1.2% and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) was inactive.FedEx (FDX) stock was down more than 7% before the opening bell after the company reported that the fiscal Q4 operating margin for its core delivery segment, Express, fell to 7.7% from 8.4% a year earlier.Winners and Losers:Health CareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) advanced 0.3%, the Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was 0.8% higher, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) was inactive. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was up 0.4%.MoonLake Immunotherapeutics (MLTX) stock was down more than 7% premarket a day after the company priced a public offering of 9 million shares at $20 each and warrants to purchase up to 1 million shares at $19.9999 each.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) was up 0.01%, the Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) was down 0.1%, and the iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was 2.1% lower. The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) gained 0.1%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) advanced by 0.3%.PulteGroup (PHM) shares were down more than 2% pre-bell. The company's Chief People Officer, Kevin Henry, surrendered 2,093 shares on June 22 to satisfy tax withholding obligations related to vested stock awards, leaving him with direct ownership of 12,580 shares, according to a regulatory filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday.FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) advanced 0.2%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 0.5%, while its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), was 0.5% lower.ProAssurance (PRA) shares traded up 1% in early hours activity after the company said late Tuesday that it has received all required regulatory approvals for its planned merger with The Doctors Company, clearing the final major hurdle for the transaction.TechnologyThe State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) advanced by 0.7%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.9% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 1.4%. Among semiconductor ETFs, the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) gained by 1.4%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) rose by 1.3%.Qualcomm (QCOM) shares were up more than 1% in premarket activity after the company said it has agreed to acquire Modular to bolster its software foundation for generative and agentic artificial intelligence applications.EnergyThe iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was down 0.5%, while the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) declined by 1.1%.Baker Hughes (BKR) stock was up more than 1% before market open after the company signed a new commercial agreement with Mantle Reach Power for the large-scale deployment of geothermal energy in North America.CommoditiesFront-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil retreated by 2.9% to $71.12 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas was up by 1.5% to $3.20 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) declined by 3%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 0.9% higher.Gold futures for July were down by 3% to $4,025.80 an ounce on the Comex. Silver futures retreated by 5.2% to $59.27 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) declined by 2.6%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 4.7% lower.
Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$BETH$BITO$BKR$EEM$EETH$EXI$FAS$FAZ$FDX$GLD$IBB$IGM$IGV$IPK$IVV$IWM$IYE$IYH$IYJ$IYK$IYW$MLTX$PHM$PMR$PRA$QCOM$QQQ$RTH$SLV$SOXX$SPY$UNG$USO$VDC$VHT$VIS$XLE$XLF$XLI$XLK$XLP$XLV$XLY$XRT$XSD
