Wall Street’s figures relate to Friday’s closing session, when lower oil prices helped US stocks secure their first winning week in three. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9% to 51,829, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite each gained 0.5%, closing at 7,743 and 27,069 respectively.
Asian market moves reflect Monday’s trading session. South Korea’s Kospi fell 2.3% and China’s Shanghai Composite dropped 1.7%, while Japan’s Nikkei was broadly flat. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.7%, while Australia’s ASX 200 gained 0.3% to 8,693.
Commodity and currency prices are Monday morning snapshots ahead of the London open. Brent crude was up 1.5% at $98.92 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate rose 1.8% to $94.05 as hopes of an immediate diplomatic breakthrough faded.
The renewed rise in crude could support BP, Shell and other energy producers, although higher oil also adds to inflation concerns and the risk that global interest rates remain elevated.
Precious metals moved sharply lower in Monday trading as a stronger dollar and elevated bond yields reduced demand for non-yielding assets. Gold fell 2.5% to $4,211.37 an ounce and silver dropped 4.1% to $62.12.
Copper gained 1.5%, while natural gas fell 3.5%.
Sterling was little changed at around $1.324 against the dollar, while Bitcoin fell 1.6% to approximately $83,200.
For investors, the timeline is therefore important: Friday’s US equity gains reflected lower oil, while Monday’s Asian and commodity markets were reacting to a renewed rise in crude after the Iran proposal was rejected. That reversal leaves energy shares potentially supported but keeps inflation and interest-rate risks elevated for the broader market.
