Oil prices fell close to 10% after Iran signaled that the Strait of Hormuz would remain fully open during the US-Iran ceasefire, removing a key supply-disruption premium that markets had built into crude valuations. Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate both dropped sharply as traders unwound risk positions tied to fears of a blockade on one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints. The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly one-fifth of global oil supply, meaning any credible closure threat directly compresses refiner margins, inflates spot prices, and ripples into fuel costs across importing economies. With Iran explicitly confirming passage would continue unimpeded, that fear premium deflated rapidly. The move signals how much of recent crude pricing was driven by geopolitical risk rather than physical supply-demand fundamentals. Analysts expect volatility to persist given the fragility of ceasefire arrangements and the speed with which sentiment can reverse. Energy traders, refiners exposed to spot markets, and fuel-sensitive sectors such as aviation and shipping face a recalibrated cost environment as the situation develops.
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.
