Asian shares surge, oil prices slump on US-Iran peace deal

Asian shares gained while oil prices declined after the US and Iran stated they had reached a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz.

A gauge of Asian stocks increased 2.1% during open, while S&P 500 futures increased 1%. While South Korea's Kospi index was up nearly 6%, Japan's Nikkei 225 increased around 5%.

The dollar declined against its major peers and Treasuries rose across the curve. Brent crude fell more than 4% toward $83 a barrel, after closing last week at the lowest in more than three months. Bitcoin climbed more than 2%.

The Strait of Hormuz will be “opening” on Friday upon the signing of the deal with Iran, President Trump said in a post on Truth Social. The deal announcement came first from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and was followed by Trump and Iranian state media. Neither side released the text of the deal but the broad contours had circulated for days.

The peace agreement paves the way for an end to a conflict that claimed thousands of lives, disrupted the global economy, and drove volatility across financial markets for more than three months. A resumption in Middle Eastern oil flows could help unwind the geopolitical premium embedded in crude prices, offering relief to policymakers battling inflation.

The yield on 10-year Treasuries slid six basis points to 4.42% in early Asian trading. Yields may decline toward the 4.20% level as inflation concerns ease after the interim deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to broker ACCM.

While the conflict had triggered gains in the dollar and sent Treasury yields higher as traders priced in the inflationary risks posed by higher oil prices, equity markets largely shrugged off the turmoil. A gauge of global stocks continued to scale record highs buoyed by relentless enthusiasm over artificial intelligence.

The sector was once again in focus on Monday. Anthropic PBC has disabled access to its most advanced artificial intelligence models, including Mythos, following an unprecedented order by the Trump administration to keep the technology out of the hands of all foreign nationals, the company said.

The next major event risk for markets looms on Wednesday, when the Federal Reserve votes on interest rates. Traders are also awaiting a swath of other central bank decisions this week as the energy-price shock from the Middle East war feeds into consumer prices and crimps growth.

In Asia, the Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to keep its policy rate unchanged at the end of its two-day meeting on Tuesday while the Bank of Japan may hike its rate to 1%, a level last seen in 1995. Bank Indonesia could lift rates again, according to a Bloomberg survey, after an out-of-cycle move last week to support its currency.

The Fed will be meeting for the first time under new Chair Kevin Warsh. If there’s a convincing message that the Fed is willing to shift back into inflation-fighting mode, Wall Street will likely be reassured about Warsh’s commitment to maintaining the bank’s political independence. The dot-plot will also be a gut check for investors betting on a rate hike later this year.

With inputs from Bloomberg