US Equities Markets End Lower Friday as Middle East Conflict Rages On

04:00 PM EDT, 06/20/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes ended lower Friday as traders monitored the latest developments in the Middle East and comments by a Federal Reserve governor.

* US President Donald Trump will allow two weeks for diplomacy before deciding whether to launch a strike against Iran amid its ongoing conflict with Israel, news outlets reported.

"Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," Trump said, according to CNBC, citing a statement read Thursday by White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.

* The Fed may be in a position to ease monetary policy "as early as July," as tariffs are unlikely to increase inflation significantly, Governor Christopher Waller said, according to CNBC. "That would be my view, whether the committee would go along with it or not."

On Wednesday, the central bank's Federal Open Market Committee kept its policy rate unchanged for a fourth straight meeting, while sticking to its federal funds rate outlook for 2025 amid higher inflation expectations.

* July West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed down $0.14 to settle at $75 per barrel, while August Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $1.56 to $77.29 as concerns ease that the United States will enter the fighting between Iran and Israel.

* Kroger (KR) raised its guidance for identical sales growth for fiscal 2025 after the supermarket chain reported a year-on-year increase in the metric for Q1. The company's shares rose nearly 10%.

* Accenture (ACN) raised its full-year earnings outlook and reported fiscal Q3 results above market expectations, though the consulting firm's bookings declined on an annual basis. The company's shares fell 6.7%.

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