Hong Kong (AFP) – Oil prices jumped and equities fluctuated Tuesday as investors weighed Donald Trump calling for Tehran residents to evacuate and hopes that the conflict between Israel and Iran does not descend into all-out war. While the crisis in the Middle East continues to instill uncertainty, talk that the Islamic republic wanted to make a nuclear deal was providing some optimism.
After Friday’s surge sparked by Israel’s attacks on its regional foe, crude ticked more than one percent lower Monday as traders bet that the conflict would not spread throughout the Middle East and key oil sites were mostly left untouched. Prices bounced back Tuesday after Trump called for the evacuation of the Iranian capital, which is home to nearly 10 million people. “Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign,” he said on social media, referring to nuclear talks that were taking place. “What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”
Trump later poured cold water on remarks from French President Emmanuel Macron that he was leaving the G7 summit in Canada to discuss a possible ceasefire. Oil climbed more than one percent in late Asian trade Tuesday, after swinging between gains and losses through the day. Gains were tempered after the International Energy Agency said in its 2025 report that global demand would fall slightly in 2030 for the first time since the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020. It cited “below-trend economic growth, weighed down by global trade tensions and fiscal imbalances, and the accelerating substitution away from oil in the transport and power generation sectors.”
Traders are keeping a wary eye on developments in the Iran crisis, with the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz leaving Southeast Asia on Monday after cancelling a Vietnam visit as the Pentagon announced it was sending “additional capabilities” to the Middle East. Trump has maintained that Washington has “nothing to do” with Israel’s campaign, but Iran’s foreign minister said Monday the US leader could halt the attacks with “one phone call.” Tehran has said it would hit US sites if Washington got involved.
Meanwhile, Britain, France, and Germany called on Iran to quickly return to the negotiating table over its nuclear programme, a French diplomatic source said. The US president had earlier said Iran wanted to make a deal, adding, “as soon as I leave here, we’re going to be doing something.” He later left the gathering in the Rockies, telling reporters: “I have to be back as soon as I can. I wish I could stay for tomorrow, but they understand, this is big stuff.” Tehran had signalled a desire to de-escalate and resume nuclear talks with Washington as long as the United States did not join the conflict, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Equities were mixed in Asian trade, with Tokyo, Singapore, Seoul, Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Taipei all advancing, while Hong Kong, Sydney, Wellington, and Mumbai struggled along with London, Paris, and Frankfurt. Shanghai was flat. Dealers also kept tabs on the G7 summit, where world leaders pushed back against Trump’s trade war, arguing it posed a risk to global economic stability. Britain, Canada, Italy, Japan, Germany, and France called on the president to reverse course on his plans to impose even steeper tariffs on countries across the globe next month.
On currency markets, the yen edged up against the dollar after the Bank of Japan stood pat on interest rates and said it would slow the tapering of its bond purchases.
– Key figures at around 0810 GMT –
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.3 percent at $72.67 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.2 percent at $74.11 per barrel
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.6 percent at 38,536.74 (close)
Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.3 percent at 23,980.30 (close)
Shanghai – Composite: FLAT at 3,387.40 (close)
London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.6 percent at 8,824.48
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1561 from $1.1562 on Monday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3567 from $1.3579
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 144.46 yen from 144.79 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 85.22 pence from 85.12 pence
New York – Dow: UP 0.8 percent at 42,515.09 (close)
© 2024 AFP
