Headline: Fed Rate Hike Bets Surge; Intel (INTC) Jumps on Apple (AAPL) Chip Deal; Amazon (AMZN) Targets Nvidia (NVDA)

Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's inaugural policy meeting on June 18, 2026, significantly increased market expectations for a July 2026 interest rate hike, driving federal funds rate futures trading to a record volume. Over 500,000 contracts traded, four times the 20-day average, indicating heightened anticipation for monetary policy tightening. Separately, Intel (INTC-US) shares surged over 11% intraday on June 18, 2026, after President Trump announced that Apple (AAPL-US) will partner with Intel for U.S. chip design and manufacturing. This initiative aims to bolster domestic semiconductor supply chains and supports Intel's expanding foundry business. Adding to tech sector developments, Amazon (AMZN-US) is reportedly discussing external sales of its proprietary Trainium AI chips, challenging Nvidia's (NVDA-US) market dominance and signifying an expansion of Amazon's AI infrastructure business.