Oil Prices Tumble, Global Stocks Rise As Iran Fears Ease
AFP/APP
New York: Oil prices fell and global stocks rose Monday on relief that Israel’s strikes on Iran avoided the country’s energy infrastructure.
Israel spared oil and nuclear facilities in its air strikes on Iranian military targets Saturday, easing investor concerns about the extent of Israel’s retaliation to Tehran’s October 1 missile barrage.
“Investors breathed a sigh of relief as the attack was more restrained than expected,” said Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote Bank.
Oil prices have swung wildly in recent weeks, with investors concerned that an attack on Iran’s oil facilities would not only take Iranian crude off the market but spur a wider conflict involving other regional oil producers.
Brent North Sea crude, the international benchmark oil contract, fell more than six percent on Monday with prices hovering above $71 per barrel.
“Israel’s strike, carefully avoiding energy sites, has softened fears of a full-scale conflict with Iran,” said Stephen Innes, analyst at SPI Asset Management.
“Even more telling is Iran’s response, downplaying the attack’s impact and signaling that its warnings may have deterred any more aggressive action from Israel,” he added.
Concerns in the oil market have now shifted back to focus on potential oversupply in 2025 and a slowdown in demand from China, the world’s largest oil importer, according to analysts.
US stocks pushed higher, boosted by the cheaper oil, and as investors look ahead to a busy week of economic indicators that could set the direction for a market that is already hovering near record highs.
On Wednesday comes the first estimate of third-quarter US GDP, and on Thursday the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge will be reported. Finally, Friday sees the release of key US monthly jobs figures.
Together, the reports should provide clues on the Fed’s interest rate policy for the rest of the year.
It’s also a big week for US company earnings as five of the “Magnificent Seven” tech stocks will report third-quarter results, including Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Meta (Facebook) and Microsoft.
London, Paris, and Frankfurt all closed higher. London was hit at both ends by the falling crude prices. Oil and gas giants BP and Shell were among the biggest drops.
But airlines easyJet and British Airways-owner IAG led gains on the prospect of lower fuel prices.
Dutch medical device maker Philips lowered its full year sales target Monday, blaming a deterioration in demand from China, with its share price dropping almost 17 percent in Amsterdam, making the stock exchange’s AEX index one of the few to fall Monday.
On currency markets the yen hit a three-month low, sliding more than one percent against the dollar as Sunday’s general election resulted in a hung parliament.
But that helped the Tokyo stock market close up 1.8 percent as the yen’s weakness boosted shares of exporters.
Key figures around 2040 GMT
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 6.1 percent at $71.42 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 6.1 percent at $67.38 per barrel
New York – Dow: UP 0.7 percent at 42,387.57 (close)
New York – S&P 500: UP 0.3 percent at 5,823.52(close)
New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 18,567.19 (close)
London – FTSE 100: UP 0.5 percent at 8,285.62 (close)
Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.8 percent at 7,556.94 (close)
Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.4 at 19,531.62 (close)
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.8 percent at 38,605.53 (close)
Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP less than 0.1 percent at 20,599.36 (close)
Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.7 percent at 3,322.20 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0815 from $1.0796 on Friday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2972 from $1.2962
Dollar/yen: UP at 153.24 yen from 152.31 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 83.37 pence from 83.28 pence.
