Stocks advanced and oil pared gains following a report that Iran offered the US a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, easing concern that efforts to restart peace talks had stalled. MSCI’s Asia Pacific share benchmark rose 1.5% and its emerging markets index climbed to a record after Axios reported on Iran’s proposal to end the war, which includes putting off nuclear negotiations. Asian chip stocks outperformed with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. — Asia’s most valuable stock — surging 6% to a record. A gauge of Asian tech stocks also reached an all-time high and futures for the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 Index advanced 0.3%. Brent crude pared gains to be up 1% at $106.45 a barrel after earlier climbing as much as 2.5%. A reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would allow oil and gas to transit through the key Middle East waterway. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.1%. The change in mood came after efforts to resume talks faltered over the weekend, when President Donald Trump canceled a trip by his envoys and Tehran said it won’t negotiate under threat. While global equities have unwound much of their war-related losses and climbed to records, the rally faces a key test this week, with policy decisions due from the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank, alongside earnings from megacap tech firms. Iran’s plan, conveyed through mediators in Pakistan, calls for extending the ceasefire so the parties can work toward a permanent end to the fighting, Axios said, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Nuclear talks would come later, only after a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is lifted, it said. Pakistani mediators have given the proposal to the White House but it’s unclear whether the US wants to explore it, Axios said. Trump is expected to hold on Monday a situation room meeting on Iran with his top national security and foreign policy team, it said. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. Elsewhere, Treasuries edged lower on Monday, giving up some of Friday’s gains after the Justice Department dropped its investigation into the Fed. The yield on the benchmark 10-year rose one basis point to 4.32%. Global equities start the week at or near records, with the S&P 500 up almost 10% since the end of March, putting it on pace for the best monthly advance since late 2020. The closing of the Justice Department’s probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell cleared a path for Kevin Warsh’s confirmation, boosting bets the central bank could resume cutting interest rates before year-end. Markets are likely to remain on edge as major central banks, including the Bank of Japan, deliver policy decisions beginning Tuesday. While investors expect key central banks to leave rates unchanged, traders will be alert to signs officials are concerned about inflation risks stemming from the disruption to oil supply caused by the Iran war. Investors are still encouraged by strong corporate earnings and the AI boom “while keeping the US-Iran situation on their side mirrors,” said Francis Tan, Asia chief strategist at Indosuez Wealth in Singapore. Meanwhile, Asian companies are heading into the busiest week of the current earnings season, offering investors an early glimpse of how the Iran war has affected financial results. Also this week, Alphabet Inc., Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. are set to report Wednesday, followed by Apple Inc. a day later. The companies are worth nearly $16 trillion combined, representing a quarter of the S&P 500 Index’s market capitalization.
Nikkei +1.96% Hang Seng +0.15% CSI +0.21% Shanghai +0.15% Shenzen +0.45%
Eur$ 1.1726 CNH 6.8290 CNY 6.8294 JPY 159.24 GBP 1.3540 CHF 0.7848 RUB 75.3015 TRY 45.0297 WTI$ 95.67 +1.35% Gold 4,720 +0.21% BTC 78;669 +0.56% ETH 2,369 +0.17%
S&P -0.06% Nasdaq +0.10% EuroStoxx -0.13% FTSE +0.01% Dax +0.10% SMI +0.31%
Macro :
- Energy Merchant Six One Overtakes Trafigura in US Gas Trading
- Brazil Party Asks Court to Halt Rare Earths Miner’s Sale
- MSCI Emerging (MXEF) +0.67% testing Feb 2026 Highs 1,626.15, EEM VIX (VXEEM) tumble 18% on Friday @ 28.20
Keep an eye on :
Keep an eye on :
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