Oil prices collapsed more than 10 percent on Friday after Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared on X that passage through the Strait of Hormuz is 'completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire,' triggering an immediate repricing across energy and equity markets. Brent crude fell 10.7 percent to $88.74 a barrel and WTI dropped 11.1 percent to $81.07, both sliding below $90 after trading near a peak of $120 during the height of the disruption caused by Iran's interference with the strategic waterway, through which one-fifth of global crude flows. Araghchi's statement was ambiguous, it was unclear whether he referenced the 10-day Lebanon-Israel truce that took effect Thursday or the earlier two-week US-Iran truce begun April 8, but markets responded regardless, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite extending record highs and European bourses in Frankfurt and Paris each gaining 2 percent. Despite the announcement, the US blockade of Iran's ports remains in force per President Donald Trump, and France and Britain said they would lead a multinational defensive navigation mission in the strait, contingent on a formal regional peace agreement, leaving open the question of how durable the supply relief will prove.
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.
