Arabic version: أسواق الأسهم ترتفع بعد إلغاء ترامب الضربات على إيران
Stock markets have surged following US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he called off planned strikes against Iran and a peace deal with Tehran is imminent. According to Al Jazeera, Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index finished nearly 1.8 percent higher on Thursday, marking its biggest single-day gain since April after a three-day streak of losses.
The tech-focused Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.5 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained about 1.9 percent. This positive momentum continued into the Asia Pacific markets on Friday, with significant gains observed in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Australia. South Korea’s Kospi surged more than 8 percent in morning trading, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose as much as 4 percent.
In addition, Taiwan’s TAIEX gained about 2.4 percent, and Australia’s ASX 200 rose approximately 1.8 percent. The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong also saw an increase of more than 1 percent. Brent crude, the primary international benchmark for oil prices, fell about 1 percent to below $89.50 a barrel, reflecting hopes for a return to normalcy in the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about one-fifth of global energy supplies.
The market rebound followed Trump’s statement on Thursday suggesting that a deal to end the war with Iran could be signed as soon as this weekend. He remarked, “We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran… subject to finalisation of documents.” Although Iran has not publicly confirmed these claims, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman indicated that a memorandum of understanding with the US is “under consideration.”
Analysts suggest that for the market rally to be sustained, investors will need to see the actual deal being signed and a complete reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Khoon Goh, head of Asia research for ANZ Bank, emphasized these points as critical for extending market gains. Fabien Yip, a market analyst at IG Group in Sydney, noted that the rally reflects a “meaningful easing of geopolitical risk,” which is crucial as the market anticipates the upcoming debut of SpaceX, projected to be the largest IPO in history.
