(Editor’s note: The future prices of benchmark tracking ETFs, the lede, the economic data and the headline were updated in the story.)
U.S. retail and food services sales for February 2026 rose by 0.6% to $738.4 billion, slightly rebounding from a revised 0.1% dip in January. When excluding motor vehicles and parts, retail sales grew by 0.5% during the month.
Meanwhile, the labor market showed steady but modest growth in March, with private sector employment increasing by 62,000 jobs and annual pay rising 4.5% year-over-year, according to the ADP National Employment Report.
In the latest on the U.S.-Iran war, President Donald Trump said the U.S. could end its military campaign “within two or three weeks,” noting that Iran would not need to agree to any terms for the withdrawal to proceed.
Additionally, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that Iran is open to ending hostilities, but only if it receives formal security guarantees against future attacks.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump is scheduled to deliver a televised Address to the Nation on Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. ET to provide an important update on the situation with Iran.
Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.27%, and the two-year bond was at 3.76%. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 99.5% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged in its April meeting.
| Index | Performance (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | 0.52% |
| S&P 500 | 0.50% |
| Nasdaq 100 | 0.72% |
| Russell 2000 | 0.70% |
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were higher in premarket on Wednesday. The SPY was up 0.62% at $654.39, while the QQQ advanced 0.93% to $582.55.
Stocks In Focus
Nike
- Nike Inc. (NYSE:NKE) dropped 9.31% in premarket on Wednesday despite reporting better-than-expected third-quarter results amid a turnaround strategy.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that NKE maintains a weak price trend in the short, medium, and …