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Informist, Wednesday, Jul. 1, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Asian indices mixed amid fresh hurdles in US-Iran negotiations

 

MUMBAI--0805 IST--Stock indices in Asia were mixed in early trade on Wednesday as investors evaluated new hurdles in negotiations between the US and Iran. Tuesday, Iran said it would not meet top US envoys who flew to the region, raising uncertainties regarding lasting peace between the two warring parties. Subsequently, crude oil futures saw an uptick and climbed above the $73 per barrel mark.

 

Iran refused to meet US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who arrived in Doha for what the White House described as "high level" talks. Instead, the West Asian nation and host Qatar said the US envoys would meet with mediators rather than Iranian officials, according to a Reuters report. "No meeting at any level with the American side has been scheduled for the coming days," Reuters reported, quoting Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei.

 

Japan's Nikkei 225 was marginally higher after climbing nearly 3?rlier in the session, led by gains in shares of electronics and metal companies. With the Japanese yen plummeting to new 40-year lows, investors in the region are keeping an eye on possible intervention by the Bank of Japan. Expectations for a gradual pace of interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan, along with growing possibility of the US Federal Reserve raising the Fed funds rate this year, are putting pressure on the yen and pushing the dollar higher, according to a report by Dow Jones Newswires.

 

South Korea's Kospi was the worst-hit index in the region. The benchmark shed over 3% in early trade, giving up its opening gain of 1.4%. Heavyweight constituents SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics were down over 5-6%. Among other laggards, Australia's S&P / ASX 200 was down 0.6% during early trade. Markets in Hong Kong are shut on Wednesday on account of a public holiday.

 

Following are the levels of key indices in the region at 0759 IST:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
CSI 300 Index	4974.26	(-)0.1
Nikkei 225 Day	70246.66	0.3
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	4001.68	0.2
KOSPI	8149.80	(-)3.9
FTSE Singapore Strait Times	5177.86	0.1
S&P/ASX 200 Index	8728.8	(-)0.6

 

(Shruti Nair)

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Equity Alert: US mkt ends up as chip stocks gain; Dow sets new closing high

 

MUMBAI--0730 IST--US equity indices ended higher on Tuesday, marking the end of the second quarter and the first half of the year. Stocks of chipmakers led the gains. The Dow Jones index witnessed a record closing high for the second session in a row, though peers S&P 500 and Nasdaq saw sharper gains. Shares of Advanced Micro Devices were among the highest gainers. The stock ended nearly 8% higher, while peer Intel closed 6% higher. Sector leader Nvidia was also among the gainers and ended nearly 3% higher.

 

Despite the geopolitical volatility that characterised the first half of the year, major indices rose 8–13% over the period. Volatility in energy prices due to the US-Iran war as well as scepticism towards artificial intelligence-related spending were the main factors that played on the market sentiment in the first half. Nevertheless, all major indices hit their respective record highs during this period. Further, stocks fared better in the second quarter of the year, as fears around the AI trade eased and a resolution to the war appeared to be in sight, according to a CNBC report.

 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained over 8% in the first six months of the year, while the S&P 500 climbed over 9%. The Nasdaq outperformed its peers during this period with a near 13% gain, CNBC reported. "For me the lesson of the first half of 2026 is that earnings matter more than just about anything, except for maybe interest rates," Tim Holland, chief investment officer at Orion, told CNBC. 

 

Unless hostilities resume between the US and Iran, Holland expects the bull market to continue for the rest of the year and sees investors moving more into cheaper areas of the market. "Interest rates are probably going to be a little elevated, which tends to be a headwind for higher-price growth stocks, but tends to be a tail wind for economically sensitive stocks and the like," according to Holland.

 

Following were the closing levels of major US indices on Tuesday:

 

US Indices	Levels	Change in %
Dow Jones Industrial Average	52319.2	0.3
NASDAQ Composite	26213.72	1.5
S&P 500	7499.36	0.8

 

(Shruti Nair)

 

US$1 = INR 94.66

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

 

Edited by Avishek Dutta

 

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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