GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks, dollar edge up ahead of Warsh debut; oil higher after recent losses

BY Reuters | ECONOMIC | 12:50 PM EDT

* Brent crude higher after Trump comments on Iran deal

* Warsh to navigate between dovish Trump and hawkish pricing

* Dollar firms; stocks edge up (Updates to midday)

By Caroline Valetkevitch and Danilo Masoni

NEW YORK/MILAN, June 17 (Reuters) - Major stock indexes and the U.S. dollar edged up on Wednesday ahead of Kevin Warsh's debut as Federal Reserve chair, and oil prices gained as doubts arose about the U.S.-Iran peace deal.

The Fed is expected to hold interest rates steady at the end of the first meeting chaired by Warsh, with a new policy statement and economic projections likely to reflect growing concern about the inflation stoked by the Iran war even with the recent peace deal.

Committee members' projections in March showed most expected to cut rates.

"This is Warsh's first time as Fed chair and there's a lot of anticipation on not what he will do today... but his communication," said Adam Sarhan, CEO of 50 Park Investments in New York.

U.S. President Donald Trump said his new ceasefire agreement with Iran was not final and he could resume the war if he is unsatisfied. Israel launched fresh airstrikes in Lebanon.

Oil prices rose after falling earlier this week. Lower prices had begun to ease worries about an economic slowdown especially in energy-importing Europe. The International Energy Agency said the oil market will move into a significant supply surplus in 2027 after recovering from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. crude rose 0.85% to $76.70 a barrel and Brent rose to $79.51 per barrel, up 0.7% on the day.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 202.89 points, or 0.39%, to 52,202.56, the S&P 500 rose 6.80 points, or 0.09%, to 7,518.15 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 17.05 points, or 0.07%, to 26,393.40.

MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe rose 2.81 points, or 0.25%, to 1,131.11. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.52%.

Shares of BMW fell after the German automaker slashed its 2026 outlook, citing a downturn in China and the impact of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

SpaceX shares were down for the first time since the stock's market debut last Friday. The stock was last down 2.3%.

DOLLAR HOLDS FIRM

The anticipation of what Warsh will say held the dollar firmer. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, rose 0.14% to 99.69, with the euro down 0.14% at $1.1591. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar weakened 0.16% to 160.19. The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes rose 0.75 basis point to 4.436%, from 4.428% late on Tuesday.

Cooling inflation expectations lifted euro zone government bonds for a fifth day, their longest rally since February, driving 10-year German yields, the bloc's benchmark, to their lowest since early April. (Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch in New York and Danilo Masoni in Milan; addtitional reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus, Kirsten Donovan and Nia Williams)

In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.

Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.

Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.

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