Asia markets set to open higher amid renewed Iran-U.S. tensions
Screens showing rising stocks at the Taiwan Stock Exchange office following U.S. President Donald Trump’s surprise decision to pause global tariffs on April 10, 2025, in Taipei, Taiwan.
Daniel Ceng | Anatolia | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets will open with gains on Monday, while investors will continue to follow the developments in the Middle East cautiously due to renewed tensions between Iran and the USA.
A U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer opened fire on and disabled an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman before Marines boarded and seized the ship, President Donald Trump said Sunday.
The seizure marks an escalation of the blockade and comes after Iran opened fire on merchant ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in the early hours of Sunday. The Bosphorus is between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Since last week, the USA has been imposing a naval blockade on ships entering and leaving Iranian ports. Iran sees the ongoing blockade as a violation of the ceasefire reached by the United States and Iran and cites it as one of the reasons for the cancellation of talks expected to be held in Islamabad on Monday.
Embers warned He said on Sunday that Tehran would “disable every Power Plant and every Bridge in Iran” if it did not accept Washington’s terms to end the conflict.
West Texas Intermediate futures rose 7.98% to $90.53 per barrel as of 7:39 PM ET. Brent crude oil increased by 6.87% to $96.59 per barrel.
of japan Nikkei 225 It was poised to rise, with the Chicago contract trading at 59,015 and the Osaka contract trading at 59,690, compared with the index’s previous close of 58,475.90.
Hong Kong Hang Seng index Futures traded at 26,502, above the index’s last close of 26,160.33.
Futures in Australia were last traded at 9,056. S&P/ASX 200Its last close was 8,946.90.
Overnight on Wall Street, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 425 points, or 0.9%. S&P 500 futures lost 0.8 percent while Nasdaq-100 futures fell 0.65 percent.
In Friday’s regular session, the S&P 500 index closed at 7,126.06 points, up 1.2%, and crossed the 7,100 threshold for the first time. The Nasdaq Composite index rose 1.52% to 24,468.48 points, its 13th consecutive win and its longest positive streak since 1992. Both indices recorded new intraday and closing records.
— CNBC’s Fred Imbert, Sean Conlon, Lisa Kailai Khan and Garrett Downs contributed to this report.
