By Dow Jones Newswires Staff

U.S. equity futures edged higher in early European trade while Japan's yen fell to a 40-year low against the dollar Tuesday, raising traders' expectations of a government intervention.

Speaking Tuesday, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama reaffirmed her commitment to stop excessive yen volatility.

Investors returned to risk across the globe, as stocks look set to finish the quarter on a strong footing. Asian stocks picked up on a tech-led Wall Street rally Monday before European indexes all opened higher.

For the day ahead, investors watch for U.S. job openings data for May and consumer confidence data for June.

  • Oil prices fell as investors weigh the prospect of a U.S.-Iran summit in Qatar after days of back-and-forth fighting around the Strait of Hormuz. In early European trading, Brent crude fell 1% to $73.20 a barrel, while WTI futures were down 1.2% to $69.91 a barrel. Although crude prices have returned to preconflict levels, underlying pressures in the oil market remain. "We believe the market has overshot to the downside," ING's Warren Patterson said. "Our assumption is that flows will only get close to prewar levels towards the end of the third quarter, while current price levels imply a return to normal by the end of July." While President Trump said the U.S. and Iran would hold fresh talks in Doha on Tuesday, Iran's deputy foreign minister said Tehran hadn't decided on the timing of the discussions.
  • In the U.S., futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were flat after the index notched its 18th record close of 2026 Monday. Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.1%, while Nasdaq futures gained 0.2%. Nike reports earnings after market close.
  • Asian stocks mostly climbed. Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 0.9% as tech stocks strengthened, while South Korea's memory chip-dominated Kospi rose 1% to give the index a more than 66% quarterly gain. China's benchmark Shanghai Composite gained 0.5%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng wilted under losses for consumer staples, however, sliding 0.4%.
  • European indexes were all in the green at the open as technology and industrial stocks surged. The Stoxx 600 rose 0.6%. Germany's industrial heavy DAX gained 0.9%, led by Siemens Energy as the gas turbine-maker rose 4.6%. In Paris, the CAC 40 was up 0.4% despite weakness in luxury names, as industrials rally. Schneider Electric rose 2.3%. London's FTSE 100 was 0.3% higher as miners gained after selling sharply in recent sessions on lower precious-metals prices. Antofagasta was up 2.3%. The Dutch AEX rose 0.7% on strong gains for AI-linked stocks, including a 3.3% surge for ASML. The Spanish IBEX 35 was up 0.2%, while the Italian FTSE MIB rose 0.6%.
  • The dollar rose slightly as the Supreme Court's decision Monday to block President Trump's bid to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook reduced risks to the central bank's independence. Justices said the Trump administration hadn't provided Cook sufficient due process for her to contest her removal on allegations of mortgage fraud. However, the court also gave Trump free rein to fire officials at other independent agencies for any reason. "It points to a more uncertain institutional backdrop, where independence can no longer be taken as a given across the wider policy framework, even if the Fed remains insulated for now," Deutsche Bank analysts said in a note. The DXY dollar index rose 0.2% to 101.318.
  • U.S. Treasury yields edged lower, moving in the same direction as oil prices, even as markets are increasingly focusing on factors other than geopolitical tensions. In this context, the employment report for June will be awaited on Thursday to provide further insight into labor market conditions and the Federal Reserve's monetary policy. The 10-year Treasury yield fell 0.4 basis point to last trade at 4.370% in Asian trade.
  • Eurozone government bond yields slipped, moving in line with U.S. Treasury yields. Scope for Bund yields to fall much further is likely limited, said Commerzbank's Christoph Rieger. "Lower inflation numbers and no rebound in oil prices are probably needed to sustain 10-year Bund yields close to 2.85%," he said. There is no government bond supply in the eurozone on Tuesday, while the European Central Bank's forum in Sintra, Portugal, could provide some further insight following President Christine Lagarde's introductory speech on Monday. The 10-year Bund yield fell 0.9 basis points to 2.846%.
  • Gold prices are on track for a monthly loss of 12% despite persistent geopolitical uncertainties, as traders expect the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates this year. According to the CME FedWatch tool, traders expect three Federal Reserve rate hikes this year and are currently pricing in more than a 60% chance of a September increase. "Gold is likely to remain under pressure in the near term as easing energy prices, a resilient U.S. dollar, and higher for longer interest rate expectations continue to reduce demand for non-yielding safe haven assets," analysts at MUFG said. In early European trading, New York gold futures rose 0.1% to $4,044.30 a troy ounce.

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