Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:
1. Fed here, Fed there
2. Israel-Iran conflict
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during a meeting with players of the Juventus soccer team in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 18, 2025.
Nathan Howard | Reuters
President Donald Trump said he will make a decision on joining Israel’s military campaign against Iran “within the next two weeks.” Israel and Iran have been trading fire for days. Meanwhile, U.K., France and Germany officials are set to hold talks Geneva on Friday in a bid to de-escalate the conflict. Markets have been shaken by the possibility that the conflict could potentially disrupt oil supply in the Middle East.
3. Met-AI
The logo of Meta is seen at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 11, 2025.
Gonzalo Fuentes | Reuters
Meta wanted to buy Ilya Sutskever’s artificial intelligence startup worth $32 billion, but is now planning to hire its CEO and co-founder, Daniel Gross, instead, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. Sutskever rebuffed Meta’s efforts to buy Safe Superintelligence earlier this year. Former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman would also join Meta along with Gross, according to the people, who requested anonymity to speak candidly. Meta’s moves come as the AI race continues to heat up.
4. Stable GENIUS
A screen shows the logo of Circle, the issuer of one of the world’s biggest stablecoins, on the day of the company’s IPO at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), in New York City, U.S., June 5, 2025.
NYSE
Shares of Circle kept climbing Friday as investors feel optimistic about cryptocurrency after the Senate approval of its proposed stablecoin legislation, the GENIUS Act. Circle is on pace to end the week higher by nearly 50% and the stock is up than 500% since it went public on June 5. Stablecoins — or cryptocurrencies which have a value pegged to that of another asset, usually the U.S. dollar — have seen a boost with the GENIUS (short for Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins) Act, which seeks to establish clear regulatory guidelines for them.
5. Olive branch
An aerial view of an Olive Garden restaurant on June 20, 2024 in Rohnert Park, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
Darden Restaurants is predicting growth into 2026. The parent company of Olive Garden beat fourth-quarter earnings and revenue when it reported results Friday. It also saw same-store sales climb for Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse. “Our strategy remains the right one for the company, and we will continue to execute it to drive growth and long-term shareholder value,” CEO Rick Cardenas said in a release Friday.
— CNBC’s Sean Conlon, Brian Evans, Jeff Cox, Ruxandra Iordache, Kate Rooney, Tanaya Macheel and Ali McCadden contributed to this report.
