Iran accord propels markets

Nick Mastrandrea Market Tea Leaves

USD: Sep '26 is Down at 99.315.

Energies: Jun '26 Crude is Down at 77.37.

Financials: The Sep '26 30 Year T-Bond is Higher by 12 ticks and trading at 112.30.

Indices: The Jun '26 S&P 500 emini ES contract is 5 ticks Lower and trading at 7560.00.

Gold: The Aug'26 Gold contract is trading Up at 4364.40.

Initial conclusion

This is not a correlated market. The USD is Down and Crude is Down which is not normal, but the 30-Year T-Bond is trading Higher. The Financials should always correlate with the US dollar such that if the dollar is Higher, then the bonds should follow and vice-versa. The S&P is Lower and Crude is trading Lower which is not correlated. Gold is trading Higher which is correlated with the US dollar trading Down. I tend to believe that Gold has an inverse relationship with the US Dollar as when the US Dollar is down, Gold tends to rise in value and vice-versa. Think of it as a seesaw, when one goes Up the other goes Down. Asia traded Mixed, all of Europe is trading Higher.

Possible challenges to traders

ADP Weekly Employment Change is out at 8:15 AM EST. Major.
Building Permits are out at 8:30 AM EST. Major.
Housing Starts are out at 8:30 AM EST. Major.
Import Prices m/m is out at 8:30 AM EST. Major.

Traders, please note that we've changed the Bond instrument from the 10 Year (ZN) to the 2 Year (ZT). They work exactly the same.

We've elected to switch gears a bit and show correlation between the 2-year Treasury notes (ZT) and the S&P futures contract. The YM contract is the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the purpose is to show reverse correlation between the two instruments. Remember it's likened to a seesaw, when up goes up the other should go down and vice versa.

Yesterday the ZT dived Lower at around 9:20 AM EST with no economic news pending. The Dow climbed Higher at around the same time. Look at the charts below and you'll see a pattern for both assets. The ZT dived Lower at around 9:20 AM EST and the Dow climbed Higher around the same time. These charts represent the newest version of Bar Charts, and I've changed the timeframe to a 15-minute chart to display better. This represented a Short opportunity on the 2-year note, as a trader you could have netted about 20 ticks per contract on this trade. Each tick is worth $6.25. Please note: the front month for the ZT is now Sep '26. I've changed the format to filled Candlesticks (not hollow) such that it may be more apparent and visible.

Charts courtesy of barcharts

Bias

Yesterday we gave the markets an Upside bias and the markets didn't disappoint. The Dow closed Higher by 573 points and the other indices traded Higher as well. The United States and Iran have come to a peace accord however the agreement will be signed Friday in Switzerland but at this point not much is known of the actual terms. Today our bias is Neutral or Mixed.

Could this change? Of Course. Remember anything can happen in a volatile market.

Commentary

Finally, at long last an accord has been agreed upon by Iran and the USA. The agreement will officially be signed on Friday in Switzerland, but the terms are still murky.

Author

Nick Mastrandrea

Market Tea Leaves

Nick Mastrandrea over 20 years experience in trading and formerly held a NASD Series 7. He currently holds a NJ Life, Health and Variable Authority. Nick is a published writer and his work has appeared in Futures Magazine, TraderPlanet and others.

USD/JPY stays below 160.50 as markets assess BoJ decision

USD/JPY fluctuates in a relatively narrow range above 160.00 on Tuesday as markets assess the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) decision to raise the policy rate by 25 at the June meeting. Meanwhile, investors keep a close eye on news coming out of the Middle East, while preparing for the critical Fed meeting.

AUD/USD trades in tight channel near 0.7050 despite hawkish RBA message

AUD/USD trades modestly lower on the day at around 0.7050 on Tuesday as markets adopt a cautious stance amid a lack of details surrounding the US-Iran peace agreement. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) left the door open for possible policy tightening after leaving the interest rate unchanged, as expected, at the June meeting but failed to boost the Australian Dollar.

Gold clings to moderate gains above $4,300 following Monday's rally

Gold maintains a mildly positive tone, holding gains after rallying about 6% over the last few days. The precious metal's recovery, however, has lost steam after crossing the $4,300 line as the initial enthusiasm about the US-Iran peace deal faded, with investors moving to the sidelines in anticipation of details of the agreement and monetary policy decisions by the Fed.

Solana's rebound gains momentum as ETF inflows return

Solana (SOL) steadies at $73 after posting three consecutive green candlesticks since the weekend. The recent recovery is supported by institutional demand, with spot Exchange Traded Funds recording net inflows of $2.81 million on Monday.

BoJ just hiked and US-Iran deal is on the table: Why Japanese Yen is still around 160.00

The Bank of Japan lifted interest rates from 0.75% to 1.00%, its highest level in more than three decades. The landmark move aims to stabilize a sharply weakening Japanese Yen, but by looking at the immediate market reaction, it doesn’t look like it’s going to work.

4.2% headline, 0.2% core: Why the Fed's next hike may be targeting the wrong problem

May's CPI put headline inflation at 4.2% on the year, up from 3.8% in April and the hottest reading since April 2023, while core prices rose just 0.2% on the month, undershooting the 0.3% consensus and halving April's pace.