U.S. equity markets rallied sharply on reports that Iran signaled an opening of the Strait of Hormuz, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbing 555.37 points, or 1.14%, while the S&P 500 gained over 0.70% and the Nasdaq rose 0.99%. The moves reflect how directly geopolitical risk in the Persian Gulf transmits into equity sentiment, given the Strait's role as a critical chokepoint for roughly a fifth of global oil trade. When Hormuz closure risk recedes, energy supply fears ease, which tends to compress oil prices and reduce the input-cost pressure that had been weighing on corporate margins and consumer spending assumptions. Investors will now watch whether Iran's posture holds and how crude benchmarks respond in subsequent sessions, as any reversal could quickly unwind today's risk-on positioning across energy-exposed equities and broader index futures.
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.
