01:39 PM EDT, 06/17/2026 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and political/company news from the first paragraph.)

US equity indexes traded mixed as investors await Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's views on monetary policy direction and inflation amid Iran's warning against continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

The Nasdaq Composite slipped less than 0.1% to 26,379.5, and the S&P 500 edged 0.1% lower to 7,505.8 in Wednesday's midday trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.2% to 52,110.3. Communication services, consumer staples, and consumer discretionary led the decliners. Industrials and materials were among the top gainers.

The Federal Open Market Committee is widely expected to maintain the range for its federal funds rate at 3.50% to 3.75% for the fourth straight meeting, implying the focus will be on the updated Summary of Economic Projections and Kevin Warsh's first press conference as Fed chair on Wednesday afternoon.

The rate-setting panel is likely to remove the lingering easing bias from the Fed policy statement, signaling instead an equal probability of the next policy move being a rate cut or an increase, according to a Stifel note. In the Summary of Economic Projections, policymakers will likely raise their inflation expectations amid rising energy prices and growth, with the latter reflecting a pickup in productivity via a rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, the note said.

In his closing remarks at the G7 summit in France, French President Emmanuel Macron said that it is vital that Iran, Hezbollah, and Israel do not resume fighting, while noting that Paris supports a preliminary US-Iran deal to end the war, according to CNN.

Iran will be able to export oil as soon as its agreement with the US is signed on Friday, CNN reported, while noting it has seen a draft of the memorandum of understanding. The MoU states Iran will "never produce nuclear weapons" while allowing Tehran to potentially tap into a $300 billion development fund if it meets commitments related to its nuclear program in further talks, the news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Iran accused Israel of violating the truce in Lebanon 84 times since it reached the interim agreement with the US and warned of a "harsh response" if attacks continue, Al Jazeera reported. Israel carried out a series of strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, CNN reported. The US-Iran framework agreement ends the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, the CNN report added.

Front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent rose 0.7% to $79.50 per barrel, and US West Texas Intermediate climbed 0.9% to $76.72 per barrel.

In economic news, retail sales climbed 0.9% after a downwardly revised 0.4% gain in April, the Census Bureau reported Wednesday. The consensus was for a 0.6% increase in May, based on a Bloomberg survey.

Pending home sales rose by 3.8% in May, above the 0.9% increase expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg and following a 0.3% increase in April, according to the National Association of Realtors. The monthly sales index was up 4.8% from a year earlier.

In company news, US equity markets could see a major shift as the Securities and Exchange Commission considers allowing "tokenized stocks" under a proposed innovation exemption, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing analysts and lawyers. The move, expected under SEC Chair Paul Atkins, aims to give companies regulatory flexibility to experiment with digital asset models, it said. Robinhood (HOOD) shares jumped 12%, the top gainer on the S&P 500.

Applied Materials ( AMAT ) stock advanced 7.5%, among the biggest gainers on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, after the company and EssilorLuxottica unveiled a long-term joint development agreement to advance augmented reality optics platforms for smart glasses.