Business & Markets
Stocks rise, oil slips on US Iran sanctions threat
Stocks mostly rose and oil prices slipped on Tuesday as investors weighed a US economic pressure plan against Iran and looked ahead to earnings from chipmaker Nvidia.
At around 0810 GMT, West Texas Intermediate was down 0.7% at $84.46 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude was down 0.5% at $91.68. Both main oil contracts had fallen more than 2% on Monday after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's comments appeared to suggest Washington would keep its pressure on Tehran economic rather than immediately military.
Bessent said the White House was declaring an “economic D-Day” on Iran and threatened action against countries that trade with it. He said President Donald Trump was calling world leaders to ask them to stop interactions with Tehran.
The US Treasury Department said Iran's digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping sectors would be targeted for sanctions. Bessent said countries that did not join US sanctions would “share” in Iran's isolation.
Equities mostly rose despite a negative lead from Wall Street. Seoul reversed early losses to end higher, while Tokyo, Shanghai, Taipei, Singapore, Sydney and Wellington also gained. Hong Kong closed flat, and Manila, Mumbai and Bangkok fell. London and Paris edged up, while Frankfurt also rose after data showed German growth was faster than previously estimated in the second quarter.
Investors are watching Nvidia's earnings because the company has become a key test of the artificial intelligence investment boom. Charu Chanana at Saxo Markets said investors were asking whether Nvidia could deliver enough upside to justify already-high expectations while bond yields remain elevated.
Markets are also focused on this week's annual gathering of central bankers, economists and finance chiefs in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where Federal Reserve chief Kevin Warsh is due to speak. His comments will be watched for clues about monetary policy, with inflation still high.
The Canadian dollar edged slightly higher after falling Monday, when Trump vowed to double tariffs on Canadian vehicles. The threat followed failed talks to avert new 50% US tariffs on selected Canadian goods, which took effect Saturday, and Ottawa laid out plans for retaliation.
Update
At around 0810 GMT, West Texas Intermediate was down 0.7% at $84.46 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude was down 0.5% at $91.68.
Tokyo closed up 0.5% at 65,856.43, Hong Kong closed flat at 25,511.10 and Shanghai closed up 0.2% at 3,889.44.
London's FTSE 100 was up 0.2% at 10,877.41 around 0810 GMT.
The update says Hong Kong was flat, rather than among markets that gained.
Source note: AFP news report published on 25 August 2026 at 08:22:54 UTC.
Update
Stocks mostly rose, including gains in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei, Singapore, Sydney and Wellington, while Manila, Mumbai and Bangkok fell.
West Texas Intermediate was down 0.7% at $84.39 a barrel and Brent was down 0.8% at $91.47 at around 0715 GMT.
London and Paris edged up at the open, while Frankfurt also rose after data showed German growth was revised higher for the second quarter.
Seoul reversed early losses to close higher.
Updated currency and index figures were provided at around 0715 GMT.
Source note: AFP news report published on 25 August 2026 at 07:52:49 UTC.
Update
Asian stocks fluctuated Tuesday while oil edged higher in early Asian trade.
West Texas Intermediate was up 0.7% at $85.57 and Brent was up 0.5% at $92.59 at around 0230 GMT.
Seoul's tech-heavy market fell more than 2% at one point as SK hynix and Samsung retreated.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said President Donald Trump was calling world leaders to ask them to stop interactions with Tehran.
Investors were awaiting Nvidia earnings and the Jackson Hole gathering for clues on technology demand and US monetary policy.
Source note: AFP news report published on 25 August 2026 at 02:46:03 UTC.
Update
Oil prices ended down more than 2% after Scott Bessent outlined plans for economic pressure on Iran.
The Dow closed up 0.3%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.3% and the Nasdaq fell 0.8%.
Bessent's announcement named no specific countries beyond Iran and gave no timelines.
The Canadian dollar fell 0.7% against the US dollar after US-Canada trade talks broke down.
Source note: AFP news report published on 24 August 2026 at 20:32:23 UTC.
Update
Brent and WTI were around 2% lower at about 1535 GMT, with Brent at $90.88 a barrel and WTI at $85.04.
London closed higher, while Paris and Frankfurt closed lower.
In late-morning New York trading, the Dow was up 0.2%, the S&P 500 was down 0.3% and the Nasdaq was down 0.6%.
Nvidia shares were down more than 2% ahead of Wednesday's earnings report.
South Korea's Kospi fell more than 3%, weighed by Samsung Electronics shares, while Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai also closed lower.
The Canadian dollar fell 0.5% against the US dollar after Canada vowed retaliation over new US tariffs.
This week's Jackson Hole gathering and US Treasury bond buyback plans were cited as additional factors for investors.
Source note: AFP news report published on 24 August 2026 at 15:43:53 UTC.
Update
About 10 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.2% at 53,357.60.
The S&P 500 was down 0.3% at 7,652.12 and the Nasdaq Composite was down 0.7% at 26,009.88.
Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare said the week was setting up to be busy.
Investors were also watching US inflation data, Nvidia earnings and a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh at Jackson Hole.
Source note: AFP news report published on 24 August 2026 at 13:51:57 UTC.
Update
At around 1335 GMT, Brent was down 1.2% at $91.59 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate was down 1.7% at $85.60.
The Dow was up 0.1% in early New York trading, while the S&P 500 was down 0.3% and the Nasdaq was down 0.6%.
London, Paris and Frankfurt were all lower in mid-afternoon European trading.
Nvidia shares were down almost 1% ahead of its earnings report.
Source note: AFP news report published on 24 August 2026 at 13:46:52 UTC.
Update
At around 1015 GMT, Brent crude was down 1.7 percent at $92.77 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate was down 2.4 percent at $85.01.
London edged 0.2 percent higher, while Paris and Frankfurt were flat.
The Canadian dollar fell 0.5 percent against the US dollar after Ottawa vowed to retaliate against new US tariffs.
Bessent wrote in The Financial Times that Washington was launching the “single greatest financial offensive marshalled against an adversary”.
Source note: AFP news report published on 24 August 2026 at 10:48:11 UTC.
Update
At around 0815 GMT, West Texas Intermediate was down 2.2 percent at $85.11 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude was down 1.8 percent at $92.69 a barrel.
Hong Kong closed down 1.9 percent at 25,517.33.
Tokyo closed down 0.7 percent at 65,528.09 and Shanghai closed down 0.6 percent at 3,882.01.
London was flat, while Paris and Frankfurt were down.
Source note: AFP news report published on 24 August 2026 at 08:49:13 UTC.
Update
West Texas Intermediate was down 2.3 percent at $85.06 a barrel around 0700 GMT.
Brent North Sea crude was down 1.8 percent at $92.65 a barrel around 0700 GMT.
South Korea's Kospi fell more than three percent after Samsung Electronics said it spent $80 billion buying back its own shares.
Hong Kong was down 1.7 percent despite Shein announcing a September 1 market debut in Hong Kong that would value the company at close to $27 billion.
London opened flat, while Paris and Frankfurt were down 0.2 percent.
Source note: AFP news report published on 24 August 2026 at 07:54:06 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The eventual impact of the US economic pressure plan on Iran, oil prices and inflation remains uncertain.
It is not yet known whether Nvidia's results will meet investor expectations.
The policy signals from the Jackson Hole gathering remain pending.
Source
AFP news report published on .