sharp increases in Europe; Wall Street contracts soar

15:30

The ceasefire announced tonight between the US and Iran leads to sharp increases in the markets and decreases in oil prices. This is despite the fact that this is not a final agreement, and according to estimates, about 800 vessels are still stuck in the Persian Gulf.

Wall Street futures are surging at this time with the Nasdaq jumping about 3.5%, and the Dow and S&P 500 up about 2.5%.

14:00

The European STOXX 600 index rose 3.8%; The flagship indices in Germany and France jumped by more than 4%; The British FTSE 100 rose about 3%; The Italian FTSE MIB registered a 3.7% increase.

S&P 500 futures jumped more than 2.7%, Dow Jones futures climbed more than 1,100 points (about 2.5%), and Nasdaq 100 futures jumped 3.5%. Russell 2000 futures rose 3.8%.

US crude oil (WTI) fell to around $95 a barrel – an impressive drop after trading as high as $117 on Tuesday. The prices of natural gas, wholesale gasoline and heating oil also fell sharply.

Brent contracts, the global benchmark, fell 13.75% to $94.68. This is one of the biggest falls of the day, but it should be noted that the price of oil is still more than 40% higher than its level before the outbreak of the war.

About 187 tankers loaded with oil and refined products still remain in the gulf, according to trade intelligence firm Kpler. The question of when the ships will return to full operation remains open.

Gold was trading at $4,737 per ounce – up 1.12% from Tuesday. Despite the ceasefire, demand for safe-haven assets continues, signaling investor skepticism about the long-term viability of the agreement. The share of the US dollar in global reserves fell to its lowest level since 1994 (about 40%), while the share of gold rose to a peak since 1991 (about 30%).

Bitcoin surged as high as $72,738 – a three-week high – up nearly 5%, before erasing some of the gains to trade around $71,776. Ethereum jumped 7.4% to $2,273.

The surge caused the liquidation of approximately $595 million in crypto futures, with short positions accounting for $427 million – the most aggressive short squeeze since March 4.

The yield on the 10-year bond fell to 4.24% from 4.30% earlier on Tuesday. However, this is still well above the 3.97% level recorded before the outbreak of the war – a rise that has pushed mortgage rates and consumer finance to higher levels.

The US dollar weakened, and the Australian rose 1.3% above $0.7070. The euro jumped 0.76% to $1.1683. The dollar index DXY fell to a four-week low below 99.

Analysts warn that the ceasefire does not solve the fundamental problems: “A two-week ceasefire does not rebuild oil stocks or solve geopolitical fragmentation.” Goldman Sachs still estimates a Brent average of $85 in 2026 – well above the $61 seen earlier this year.

Jamie Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group, summed it up aptly: “The markets predicted that Trump was looking for an exit route in Iran. Today he found it and took it.”

12:30

The increases continue throughout the trading day in Europe: Dax jumps by about 4.5%, Putsi rises by about 2.6%, Kac jumps by about 4.1% and Euro Stock jumps by about 4.5%.

11:30

European stock markets continue to jump following the announcement of the ceasefire in the Middle East: Dax jumps by about 4.7%, FTSE goes up by about 2.5%, KAC jumps by about 4% and Euro Stock jumps by about 4.5%.

Hong Kong closed up 3.09%.

The increases also continue in contracts on Wall Street which register increases of 2%-3.5%.

10:30

The stock market in Dubai jumps at the highest rate in the last decade following the ceasefire in the war with Iran. Dubai’s general index jumped as much as 8.5 percent, its biggest daily gain since December 2014, as investors poured into real estate and banking stocks after weeks of war-related volatility.

The Abu Dhabi stock market is also up, with the overall ADX index climbing up to 3.5%, the biggest gain since March 2024.

10:00

Trading in the European stock markets opens with high gains: Dax jumps by about 4.8%, FTSE jumps by about 2.5%, KAC jumps by about 3.5% and Euro Stock jumps by about 4.4%

In Asia, too, the stock markets are jumping following the announcement of a ceasefire between the US and Israel and Iran.

The Nikkei closed up 5.42%, Kospi closed up 6.87%, Shenzhen closed up 4.79% and Shanghai closed up 2.69%.

Hong Kong rises by about 2.8%.

The contracts on Wall Street also continue to register increases: the Dow Jones rises by about 2.3%, the S&P 500 rises by about 2.6% and the Nasdaq jumps by 3.2%.

09:00

The sharp increases in the Asian stock markets continue, following the announcement of the cease-fire between the US and Israel and Iran: Nikkei jumps by 5.5%, Kospi flies by about 7%, Hong Kong jumps by about 3%, Shenzhen closes by about 4.5% and Shanghai rises by about 2.5%.

The futures on Wall Street are also registering significant increases: the Dow Jones is up by about 2.4%, the S&P 500 is up by about 2.7% and the Nasdaq jumps by 3.4%.

Oil prices continue to register significant declines: the price of a barrel of crude oil drops by more than 15% and stands at around $95. The price of a barrel of Brent oil is less than 94 dollars – a decrease of about 14%.

The price of gold continues to rise and the price of an ounce is about $4,850 – an increase of about 2.5%.

The crypto market also registers increases: the price of Bitcoin stands at $71,795 – an increase of about 4.7%. The price of Ethereum stands at about $2,241 – an increase of about 6.5%.

The yields on US bonds are decreasing: the two-year yield is 3.72% and the 10-year yield is 2.53%.

8:00

Euphoria in the markets after Trump’s announcement of a two-week ceasefire subject to the opening of the Straits of Hormuz. The ones who reacted immediately and sharply are the oil prices which drop by more than 15% below 100 dollars per barrel after yesterday they had already reached 115 dollars.

In Asia this morning sharp price increases, the Japanese Nikkei jumps by more than 5%, the Korean Kospi by more than 7%. Hong Kong jumps by about 3%, Shanghai rises by about 2% and Shenzhen jumps by about 3.9%.

The contracts on Wall Street were also colored bright green. With an expected increase of over 2% in all indices. Nasdaq contracts are up more than 3%.

Last night on Wall Street, trading fluctuated between hope and despair while waiting for Trump’s deadline to expire. The Dow Jones closed down by about 0.2%, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose by about 0.1%.