Gold and silver posted sharp single-session gains on April 17 as Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz, lifting safe-haven demand and easing near-term inflation concerns. Comex gold climbed $109 per ounce to $4,917, while silver surged $4.53 to $83.24 per ounce, marking outsized moves for both metals in a single trading session. The Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint for global oil transit, and its closure had stoked fears of supply disruption and sustained price pressure across energy and commodity markets. The reopening removed an acute geopolitical risk premium that had been embedded in precious metals pricing. Whether the rally holds depends on the durability of the Hormuz situation and broader macro conditions. Traders will watch for follow-through in oil markets, which historically transmit supply-route signals into inflation expectations and, by extension, into gold and silver positioning.
Indian startups raised $5.2 billion across 501 deals in H1 2026, down 9% in value but up 7% in deal count year-on-year, per the Inc42 Indian Tech Startup Funding Report. The drop is driven by fewer mega-rounds, while AI funding surged 317% and growth-stage deal activity hit a multi-year high.
The BSE Sensex fell 893 points and the Nifty 50 shed 279 points on June 30, 2026, wiping out roughly Rs 6 lakh crore in investor wealth in a single session. Both indices dropped 1.16%, closing at 76,200.68 and 23,824.10 respectively.
Kotak Mahindra Bank shares fell nearly 3% to Rs 397.6 after CEO Ashok Vaswani announced plans to exit the bank. Investor concern now centres on succession timing and whether the bank's ongoing digital and deposit-growth strategy will stay on track.
South Korea's Kospi dropped 3% at Monday's open while Japan's Nikkei fell 1%, as escalating US-Iran conflict triggered a broad risk-off move across Asian markets. South Korea's heavy reliance on Middle East oil imports makes it especially vulnerable to geopolitical shocks of this kind.
