June was a month of contradictions — semiconductors surged 106% YTD on relentless AI capex, SpaceX’s record IPO whipsawed retail investors, and new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh killed forward guidance cold. The Iran peace deal holds for now, but July’s nuclear talks could reset everything.
Global equities took a tech-fuelled beating on Tuesday as a South Korean media report triggered a 10% KOSPI collapse and sent the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index down 7.9% — its worst session in months. The S&P 500 lost 1.4% to 7,365 while the Nasdaq 100 shed 3.3% as AI spending concerns compounded the chip selloff. The ASX opens modestly higher, with Australia’s May CPI and an RBA Deputy Governor speech the key local events today.
Wall Street ended Monday mixed as Alphabet and SpaceX led a tech rout — Alphabet fell 5% on back-to-back AI talent losses to Anthropic and OpenAI, while SpaceX slid 16% for its third straight day, erasing $600 billion in market value. U.S.–Iran peace talks in Switzerland produced a 60-day oil sales waiver, pushing Brent below $78. A hawkish Fed drove the 2-year yield to a 16-month high of 4.23%; ASX SPI futures point 0.2% higher to 8,831.
Global stocks stalled as US-Iran peace talks opened at Bürgenstock amid fresh Trump threats over Hezbollah and renewed Strait of Hormuz uncertainty. The Fed’s hawkish pivot under new Chair Kevin Warsh saw the dot plot flip to signal rate hikes before year-end, with May CPI at 4.2%. ASX 200 futures point 0.2% lower with BHP’s Jansen cost blowout and Australian May CPI data on Wednesday the key domestic catalysts.
Wall Street rallied as the US and Iran signed a peace deal at Versailles, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and sending crude prices crashing toward pre-war levels. The S&P 500 gained 1.1% and the Nasdaq surged 1.9% on a record semiconductor rally, while new Fed Chairman Warsh’s hawkish debut projected rate hikes ahead. ASX futures point 0.6% lower as BHP faces a $3.3 billion potash impairment.
WordPress Excerpt: The Fed’s hawkish pivot rattled global markets overnight, with 9 of 18 officials now projecting a rate hike and the S&P 500 sliding 1.2% to 7,512.15. Two-year Treasury yields surged 17 basis points to 4.216% as gold fell 1.9% to $4,247.93, while ASX futures point to a 61-point drop at the open.
Wall Street split down the middle as a fierce sector rotation pulled the Dow to its first-ever close above 52,000 while tech selling dragged the S&P 500 and Nasdaq lower. Oil tumbled below $80 a barrel for the first time since March as markets price in a formal U.S.–Iran peace signing on Friday. The ASX is set to open softer, with futures down 21 points to 8,904.
SpaceX’s first year as a public company isn’t a set-and-forget story. Five catalysts between July 2025 and June 2027 — QQQ index inclusion, Starship Flight 13, two earnings-triggered lockup unlocks, and Elon Musk’s personal lockup expiry — will reshape the tradeable float from 4.3% to 100%. Here’s the bull case, bear case, and our lean on each event.
Markets navigated one of the most dramatic weeks of 2026 — scorching inflation, an Iran peace deal that sent oil plunging, and the SpaceX IPO landing as the largest since Alibaba. CPI hit 4.2%, the Dow broke below 50,000, then Trump’s 12-nation Iran deal reversed everything in a single session. Mark Gardner breaks down what it means for your portfolio heading into the Fed’s first meeting under new Chair Kevin Warsh.
The US and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding for a 60-day ceasefire extension — not a full peace deal, but enough to send oil plunging to $81 and equities surging to record highs. Mark Gardner breaks down what it actually means for markets, why only one ship has been brave enough to transit the Strait of Hormuz, and whether the insurance companies and ship captains will believe Trump’s Friday reopening timeline.
Trading floors talk in shorthand — every phrase built for speed, forged under pressure. This glossary decodes the slang, the shouts and the proverbs professional traders use daily, from “hit the bid” to “pigs get slaughtered.” Learn what the language really means and how to apply trading floor wisdom to your own portfolio.
ASX bank FCN holders are asking if the 40% barrier is still safe amid bearish press and record hedge fund shorts. MPC Markets breaks down what the barrier actually means, when it’s historically been breached, and what you’re being paid for. MPC Markets 2026.