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Informist, Friday, May 8, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Asian markets fall on fresh escalation in US-Iran war

 

MUMBAI--0810 IST--Markets in Asia fell as tensions between the US and Iran escalated once again. The warring nations exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz even as media reports indicated that US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire was still in place. This has lowered the prospects of a positive outcome from peace talks. Brent Crude oil futures climbed above $101 per barrel. The S&P ASX 200, Hang Seng, and the KOSPI indices fell the most in the region. 

 

"Iran is not a normal Country. They are led by LUNATICS, and if they had the chance to use a Nuclear Weapon, they would do it, without question — But they'll never have that opportunity and, just like we knocked them out again today, we'll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don't get their Deal signed, FAST!," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. 

 

Higher crude oil prices are weighing on Asian economies, most of which are net importers of crude and crude-linked derivatives. "...significant differences in inflation impact across economies, with some seeing more notable price spikes than others. In our view, such divergence is largely due to varying degrees of passthrough from global energy prices to domestic retail fuel," BofA Securities said in a report. Inflation in Asia accelerated to 2.2% on year in March from 1.9% in February, the report highlighted. 

 

The following were the levels of major Asian indices at 0810 IST:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
CSI 300 Index	4872.6133	(-)0.57
Hang Seng Index	26328.04	(-)1.12
Nikkei 225 Day	62206.96	(-)1.00
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	3802.71	(-)0.98
KOSPI	7374.94	(-)1.54
FTSE Singapore Strait Times	4903.66	(-)0.77
S&P/ASX 200 INDEX	8731.70	(-)1.65

 

(Ruchira Kagita)

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Equity Alert: US indices end lower as fears of US-Iran war resurface

 

 

MUMBAI--0745 IST--Indices on Wall Street ended lower Thursday after posting strong gains the day before. The earlier rally, driven by rising confidence in artificial intelligence and earnings, was overshadowed as fears of an escalation of strife between the US and Iran gripped the market. The US and Iran exchanged fresh fire in the Strait of Hormuz. Brent Crude Oil futures edged above the $100 per barrel level. 

 

"Three World Class American Destroyers just transited, very successfully, out of the Strait of Hormuz, under fire. There was no damage done to the three Destroyers, but great damage done to the Iranian attackers," US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social. "U.S. forces intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes as U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman," the US Central Command said in a statement on X.

 

Among the stocks in focus on the back of earnings was McDonald's Corp. The burger chain's sales beat the consensus estimates, but Chief Executive Officer Chris Kempczinski was cautious about near-term demand. Kempczinski expects some deceleration in the June quarter due to a rise in gas prices and pointed out increased anxiety among consumers, Bloomberg reported. 

 

Earnings, however, are expected to be healthy going forward. "If you look out to Q2, Q3 and Q4 (Apr-Jun, Jul-Sept, Oct-Dec), the market and analysts are still expecting about 20% or higher earnings growth on a year-over-year basis in those subsequent quarters," Yung-Yu Ma, the chief investment strategist at PNC Asset Management, told CNBC. 

 

In macroeconomic news, the number of Americans filing for fresh unemployment claims rose by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 200,000 in the week ended May 2. Reuters had expected this figure to be 205,000. Last week, the claims had declined. 

 

The following were the closing levels of major US indices on Thursday:

 

US Indices	Levels	Change in %
Dow Jones Industrial Average	49596.97	(-)0.63
NASDAQ Composite	25806.20	(-)0.13
S&P 500	7337.11	(-)0.38

 

(Ruchira Kagita)

 

US$1 = INR 94.25

IST, or Indian Standard Time, is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT

 

Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury

 

All prices from National Stock Exchange, unless otherwise specified.

All percentage changes for share prices are rounded off to the nearest whole number; percentage changes for index values are rounded off to one decimal place.

All times are Indian Standard Time.

 

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