Israel-Iran Conflict, U.S. Retail Sales Drop, and BOJ’s Bond Tapering: PALvatar Market Recap, June 17 2025
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Of course, this is not meant to replace in-depth content from real humans that you find on Real Vision. It's just a starting point to know what's happening in the markets, and if you then want to know what the real Raoul is thinking, you know where to look. Also, remember that you have until this Friday to take advantage of the promotion we have on Real Vision. You can get 12 months of premium access for the price of 9. Head to realvision.com forward slash 3 months free to sign up. Okay, let's look at the headlines now.

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran remains the main driver of market sentiment, with oil prices rising due to fears of potential supply disruptions. President Trump's call for civilians in Tehran to evacuate has heightened concerns about U.S. involvement, contributing to a cautious atmosphere across global markets. Meanwhile, U.S. retail sales disappointed with a 0.9% drop in May, worse than expected.

The April figure was also revised from up 0.1% to down 0.1%, reflecting the unease over the economy's ongoing resilience. What was in line with expectations was the Bank of Japan's actions at its meeting today. The policymakers maintained the key interest rate at 0.5% while announcing plans to ease bond tapering from April next year.

This means the bank will reduce its stimulus through the purchasing of government bonds at a slower pace than previously planned. This decision aligns with expectations, but reflects caution regarding economic growth amidst uncertain trade conditions. We'll see what the Federal Reserve does tomorrow, especially in terms of future projections for rates. The crypto market is generally down, but one bright spot among the major tokens is TRON.

This follows reports that Justin Sun's company will go public via a reverse merger with a SPAC. There's also speculation as to why the ex-accounts of Pump.fun and its co-founder Alon Cohen have been suspended, with no official reason released. That's it for today. Remember to check out our ongoing offer on Real Vision membership. See you again tomorrow.