Global stocks slide as Middle East anxiety offsets AI optimism

June 2, 2026 9:10 AM

Global stocks slide as Middle East anxiety offsets AI optimism

Asian stocks slipped broadly in choppy Tuesday trading as doubts over the durability of a Middle East ceasefire blunted the boost from AI optimism. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.6%, having fluctuated between gains and losses as trading commenced. Regional declines were led by Korean shares tumbling as much as 3.3% after an initially higher open. S&P 500 e-mini futures were down 0.5%, while in Japan, the Nikkei 225 slumped 1.9%. "This isn't a re-rating of...

Oil slides below $100, stocks jump after two-week ceasefire agreed

April 8, 2026 9:26 AM

Oil slides below $100, stocks jump after two-week ceasefire agreed

Oil prices dived, stocks surged and the dollar was knocked back on Wednesday as a two-week Middle East ceasefire sparked a relief rally, fuelled by hopes that oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz could resume. The news capped weeks of market volatility and geopolitical upheaval after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran at the end of February pushed tensions to the brink, with Tehran effectively choking off the strategic waterway that typically carries about 20% of the world’s oil and g...