--- title: "US stocks open flat as Ukraine peace talks, Powell speech take centre stage" description: "US stocks opened the week cautiously, with major averages near the flatline after recent gains. Focus shifted to upcoming retail earnings and Federal Reserve commentary. Analysts at Wells Fargo raised" type: "news" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/253491265.md" published_at: "2025-08-18T14:24:55.000Z" --- # US stocks open flat as Ukraine peace talks, Powell speech take centre stage > US stocks opened the week cautiously, with major averages near the flatline after recent gains. Focus shifted to upcoming retail earnings and Federal Reserve commentary. Analysts at Wells Fargo raised their S&P 500 year-end forecast to 6,400, citing delayed tariffs easing pressure on corporate earnings. Meanwhile, US-Russia peace talks progressed, with potential security guarantees for Ukraine, although a comprehensive deal remains distant. President Trump is set to host discussions with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and European leaders. US stocks opened the week on a cautious note on Monday, with the major averages hovering near the flatline after recent gains. Traders shifted focus to a slate of retail earnings and commentary from the Federal Reserve later this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite were all little changed in early trading, cooling off after two consecutive winning weeks. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq have now advanced in four of the past five weeks, while small-cap stocks led last week’s rally on expectations of lower interest rates ahead. Attention is also turning to retail giants, with Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, and Target set to report results this week. Investors are looking to these earnings for signals on the resilience of consumer spending amid a shifting rate environment. The Federal Reserve remains at the centre of market sentiment, with Chair Jerome Powell scheduled to speak at the Jackson Hole economic symposium later this week. Fed funds futures currently imply nearly an 85% chance of a rate cut at the central bank’s September policy meeting, according to CME’s FedWatch tool. ## Analysts raise S&P 500 target Wells Fargo’s Investment Institute raised its year-end forecast for the S&P 500, citing relief from the US decision to delay many of the tariffs announced earlier this year. The bank now expects the index to finish 2025 in the 6,300–6,500 range, with a midpoint target of 6,400. That’s higher than strategist Darrell Cronk’s previous call of 5,900–6,100. In a note to clients on Friday, Wells Fargo said the softer tariff schedule should ease pressure on corporate earnings and consumer spending through the rest of the year. “We believe delayed tariff increases will mitigate this year’s US economic growth slowdown and extend the soft patch into early 2026,” the firm wrote. The bank added that while frontloaded tax cuts and deregulation will lift activity in early 2025, the staggered tariff rollout will temper inflationary effects until later in the year and into 2026. ## The Ukraine-Russia peace deal President Donald Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday concluded without a ceasefire, but US officials insisted progress had been made. Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, said Putin had agreed to allow the US and European allies to extend “Article 5-like protection” to Ukraine, a reference to NATO’s collective defence clause. The move, if formalised, would mark a significant shift in security guarantees for Kyiv. Still, Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned that a comprehensive peace deal remained elusive, saying an agreement was “still a long way off.” Attention now shifts to Washington, where Trump is scheduled to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday, alongside several European leaders, for further discussions on the war and potential security arrangements. The post US stocks open flat as Ukraine peace talks, Powell speech take centre stage appeared first on Invezz ### Related Stocks - [WFC.US - Wells Fargo](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/WFC.US.md) ## Related News & Research | Title | Description | URL | |-------|-------------|-----| | 富国银行希望通过大规模招聘顶尖交易员，将其曾经被忽视的投资银行提升至前五名 | 富国银行希望通过对精英交易员的大规模招聘，将其曾被遗忘的投资银行提升至前五名 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/275590682.md) | | 富国银行首席财务官 Mike Santomassimo 表示，信贷表现依然非常良好 | 富国银行首席财务官迈克·桑托马西莫表示，信贷表现仍然非常良好 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/275473185.md) | | 期权热点｜上周五 NBIS 大涨 9%，部分看涨期权飙升 378% | 美东时间 02 月 13 日，Nebius 期权总成交 179098 张，看涨期权占比 71%，看跌期权占比 28%。 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276030151.md) | | 对话松延动力创始人姜哲源：从亮相春晚到「要规模」 | 2026 年机器人大战 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276060330.md) | | 期权热点｜上周五 IREN 大涨 5%，部分看涨期权飙升 400% | 美东时间 02 月 13 日，IREN 期权总成交 270906 张，看涨期权占比 50%，看跌期权占比 49%。 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276030070.md) | --- > **Disclaimer**: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.