Oil climbs, Asian equities slide amid fragile U.S.–Iran ceasefire
⛽Oil prices moved higher on Thursday morning while Asian equity markets declined, as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained severely constrained despite a fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.
🚢Iran has reportedly informed intermediaries that, under the two-week truce announced by President Trump, it will cap daily vessel crossings at roughly a dozen and impose transit fees. Data from S&P Global Market Intelligence showed that only four ships passed through the strait on Wednesday.
🚫Following renewed Israeli airstrikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon, oil tanker movements were suspended altogether by Wednesday evening, according to Iranian media.
🇱🇧Iran has maintained that the ceasefire should extend to hostilities in Lebanon, a position the U.S. has rejected, noting that Lebanon was not included in the agreement. (Wall Street Journal, 9th Apr)
🛢Crude markets reacted swiftly, with front-month Brent rising 3.1% to US$97.61 per barrel and WTI gaining 3.6% to US$97.85.
📉Meanwhile, Asian equities weakened: Japan’s $Nikkei 225 Index(N225.JP)$ Index futures slipped 0.6% and Hong Kong’s $Hang Seng Index - main 2604(HSImain)$ (HSI) futures declined 0.6%.
✳✴For investors seeking leveraged exposure to global equities indices, Macquarie’s HSI, US index and Nikkei 225 warrants offer opportunities to participate in short‑term market momentum with a lower capital outlay: https://warrants.com.sg/tools/warrantsearch/?underlying=Indices&maturity=all&expiry=all&type=all&effectiveGearing=all&indicator=all&moneyness=all&issuer=MBL
Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.
