Tentative deal on ending the Iran war sends stocks soaring while oil
prices fall
[June 15, 2026] By
ELAINE KURTENBACH
BANGKOK (AP) — World share prices soared Monday after a tentative deal
was announced on ending the Iran war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz,
while oil prices fell more than $4 a barrel.
The future for the S&P 500 was up 1.2% and that for the Dow Jones
Industrial Average gained 0.9%, auguring likely early gains for Wall
Street.
In early European trading, Germany's DAX advanced 1.3% to 24,942.12,
while the CAC 40 in Paris added 1.1% to 8,444.00.
Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.2% to 10,496.56.
After repeated false starts, investors were betting that this time, the
war might end. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the initial
agreement and authorized an end to the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian
ports.
Iran confirmed it but signaled that implementation would not start until
a signing that Pakistan said would be held Friday in Switzerland.
Broader negotiations on issues like Iran’s nuclear program are expected
to continue over the next 60 days.
In early trading Monday, the price of Brent crude oil, the international
standard, fell $4.37 to $82.96 per barrel. U.S. benchmark crude lost
$4.53 to $80.35 per barrel.
It may take months for oil prices to stabilize after the disruptions
from the war caused them to surge, pushing costs up for gasoline and
many other products. Energy experts said shipping and insurance
companies will want to be confident the pact will hold, ensuring that
oil and gas supplies will flow freely enough for the world’s needs to be
met.
“The reopening of Hormuz is a relief valve, not a full peace dividend.
The market can remove some crude panic, but it still has to price the
gap between a headline, a signature, and a regime that actually
complies,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a report.
Still, the news was a huge relief for markets that have been roiled
since the conflict began in late February.
Stocks rallied in Asia, where Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 5% to 69,317.50
as the benchmark logged another record high.
Buying was heaviest for technology shares, especially those related to
artificial intelligence. The boom in AI has been driving gains in Japan,
where the benchmark has gained more than 80% in the last year.
“This is great news," said Takashi Hiroki, chief strategist at Monex.
“Buying by foreign investors is leading the market with expectations of
easing tensions around the situation in the Middle East. Then the
decline in New York crude oil futures is supporting this positive
market.”
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Currency traders watch monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room
of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, June
12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
 The Kospi in Seoul surged 5.2% to
8,545.98.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng gained 0.5% to 24,842.67, while the
Shanghai Composite index was up 1.6% to 4,096.47.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 advanced 1.3% to 8,922.90. Taiwan's Taiex
was up 2.8%, and the Sensex in India rose 1.2%.
On Friday, U.S. stocks advanced as Musk's SpaceX soared in its
highly anticipated debut on Wall Street.
The strong start suggested plenty of demand still exists among
investors for AI after SpaceX stock leaped 19.2% in its first day of
trading. That gave Elon Musk’s rocket company a total value of $2.1
trillion, making it bigger than Exxon Mobil, Bank of America and
Coca-Cola combined. In addition to building rockets, SpaceX also
owns the artificial intelligence company xAI.
The S&P 500 added 0.5% to close out its 10th winning week in the
last 11. The Dow industrials climbed 353 points, or 0.7%, and the
Nasdaq composite gained 0.3%.
This week will bring interest rate decisions from the Federal
Reserve and Bank of England, on Thursday. On Tuesday, the Bank of
Japan is due to announce its monetary policy updates. It is widely
expected to raise its benchmark interest rate to 1% from the current
0.75%.
That would be the highest rate in more than 30 years.
In other dealings early Monday, the dollar slipped to 160.10
Japanese yen from 160.12 yen late Friday. The euro climbed to
$1.1611 from $1.1578.
___
Senior producer Mayuko Ono in Tokyo contributed to this report.
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