Trading results for 17 June 2025
Investors continue to move with the flow of geopolitical anxiety – but this flow is not a broad, straight river with a clear direction. It is more like a narrow, churning stream, tossing the investment boat from side to side. One day it veers one way, the next day – the other.
Tuesday was marked by nervous anticipation of something terrible potentially unfolding in the Middle East. Fortunately, nothing happened – yet. Trading took place amid clear tension and brought little reward to investors.
The main session opened in negative territory, but a faint hope emerged that market participants might be able to pull the indexes out of the dip. By midday, they had almost returned to neutral, and for a brief moment the blue-chip Dow Jones (DJIA-30) even moved into positive territory. But that moment was fleeting and ultimately led nowhere.
Sentiment then deteriorated once more, and the second half of the day was dictated by the bears. They didn’t manage any major victories, but they did succeed in keeping the indexes firmly in the red. As a result, all major U.S. indexes closed with losses: the Dow Jones fell by 0.70%, the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite dropped by 0.91%, and the benchmark S&P 500 ended the day down 0.84%.
Market activity remained muted – it seems many investors chose to step aside during these uncertain times. Although the sell-off was relatively moderate, it affected nearly all sectors of the economy, except for energy stocks, which ended the day with an average gain of 0.92% due to another spike in oil prices. The worst performance came from healthcare and pharmaceutical stocks, which saw average losses of over 1.5% (-1.64%).
The ITS index family was also affected by the sell-off on the U.S. market. The ITS World Index (ITSW), which tracks global companies, fell by 0.91%. The ITS Shariah Index (ITSS), which tracks Shariah-compliant securities, lost even more – down 1.18%.
Top performers in both indexes were oil giants Chevron (CVX) and Exxon Mobil (XOM), which gained 1.93% and 1.35% respectively. Meanwhile, healthcare stocks dragged the indexes down, particularly shares of pharmaceutical heavyweight Eli Lilly & Co (LLY), which came under heavy pressure following news of its planned $3.1 billion acquisition of Verve Therapeutics (VERV). Unsurprisingly, the scale of the deal unsettled many investors, and LLY ended the day down 2.02%.
In summary, the market remains in a highly tense state. On the surface, things may appear calm – but that is just an illusion. Even the VIX fear index suggests otherwise, closing above the 20-point mark (21.3) for the first time since 23 May. In the current climate, one thing is clear: caution is essential.