Wall Street Rises Ahead Of Fed, Payment Stocks Fall On Stablecoin Bill: What's Driving Markets Wednesday?

U.S. stocks inched higher by midday Wednesday, as traders weighed geopolitical uncertainty and awaited the Federal Reserve’s June policy decision.

President Donald Trump declined to offer a clear response on whether the U.S. would directly intervene in the escalating Israel-Iran conflict.

The Federal Reserve is widely expected to hold rates steady at 4.25%-4.50% for a fourth consecutive meeting. Yet, investor focus is centered on the updated Summary of Economic Projections.

Economists anticipate the new dot plot will reflect a median expectation of just one rate cut in 2025—down from two in March—alongside modest upward revisions to inflation and downward adjustments to growth forecasts.

• The S&P 500 hovered slightly above the 6,000 mark.
• The Nasdaq 100 gained over 100 points to trade around 21,860.
• Small caps outperformed, with the Russell 2000 climbing 1%.

On a sector basis, consumer discretionary led gains, while energy stocks declined, reversing Tuesday’s strength.

Among megacaps, Visa Inc. V and Mastercard Inc. MA slid after the U.S. Senate passed a bill introducing a regulatory framework for stablecoins. Meanwhile, Coinbase Global Inc. COIN surged 12% to a four-month-high.

In the bond market, Treasury yields declined, with the 30-year yield falling to 4.85%. Oil prices dropped 1.8% to $72 per barrel after Trump’s noncommittal stance on Iran dented expectations of a supply shock.

Gold rose 0.2%, silver slipped 0.7%, and Bitcoin BTC/USD held steady at $104,800.

Wednesday’s Performance In Major US Indices, ETFs

According to Benzinga Pro data:

• The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF VOO rose 0.4% to $551.
• The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average DIA inched 0.4% higher to $424.77.
• The tech-heavy Invesco QQQ Trust Series QQQ rose 0.4% to $531.28.
• The iShares Russell 2000 ETF IWM rallied 1.1% $210.91.
• The Communication Select Sector SPDR Fund XLC outperformed, up 0.6%; the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund XLE lagged, down 0.6%.

Wednesday’s Stock Movers

• Intel Corp. INTC rallied 3.8% after the chipmaker company appointed Greg Ernst as new chief revenue officer as well as three new engineers.
• Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT dropped 2%, erasing Tuesday’s gains, as Trump’s comments prompted investors to scale back exposure to defense contractors.
• Jabil Inc. JBL soared 3.85%, extending all-time highs following Tuesday’s 9% rally amid stronger-than-expected earnings.
• Wolfspeed Inc. WOLF plunged 17% after announcing plans to enter a prepackaged bankruptcy agreement with lenders, including Apollo Global Management. The company aims to streamline its Chapter 11 process and will seek creditor approval before officially filing.
• Grail Inc. GRAL surged 12% after reporting encouraging results from its latest cancer detection test.

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