Gold Slides Below $4,300 as Oil Surge Fuels Fed Rate Hike Bets 
Oil Prices Jump Nearly 3% as Iran Holds Firm on Hormuz Conditions 
South Korea Tax Windfall Could Top 50 Trillion Won on Chip Boom 
ECB May Stop Rate Hikes After December, Capital Economics Says 
Europe’s AI Data Centre Boom Strengthens Case for Nuclear Power 
Japan Warns Markets Over Yen Weakness 
UK PM Burnham to Unveil Economic Vision at Labour Conference 
Nvidia China Chip Sales Report Sends Chinese Semiconductor Stocks Lower 
Oil Surge Pressures Global Stocks as U.S.-Iran Truce Hopes Fade 
Germany’s 2026 Growth Outlook Strengthens on Fiscal Spending 
China Industrial Profit Growth Slows as Weak Demand Offsets AI Gains 
Oil Prices Fall on U.S.-Iran Hormuz Deal Hopes 
US Stocks Face Jobs, Inflation Test as Fed Rate Hike Bets Rise 
China Consumer Stocks Near Decade Lows as AI Shares Surge 
UK Housebuilder Stocks Surge on New First-Time Buyer Loan Scheme 
XRP Price Targets $1.70 as Bullish Momentum Builds 
Asian Chip Stocks Tumble as OpenAI Safety Pause Sparks AI Growth Concerns 
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U.S. stock futures declined Monday as investors weighed renewed U.S.-Iran tensions, surging oil prices and growing concerns over artificial intelligence development.
By 03:50 ET, S&P 500 futures were down 0.42% at 7,710.7, while Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 1% to 30,595. Dow Jones futures also fell about 0.4%.
Geopolitical uncertainty intensified after President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal aimed at ending the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said diplomacy remained the only path toward resolving tensions with the U.S. and Israel but maintained its conditions for restoring normal traffic through the crucial waterway.
The Strait of Hormuz is a major route for global energy shipments, making prolonged disruption a significant risk for oil supplies and inflation.
Brent crude futures climbed 1.1% to $105.48 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 0.8% to $93.12. Sustained oil prices above $100 could increase transportation and fuel costs, complicating the inflation outlook and potentially limiting central banks’ ability to lower interest rates.
Technology stocks also faced pressure after OpenAI paused training on some advanced AI models amid concerns about unexpected behavior by AI agents. The development comes as Trump prepares to meet Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei amid a broader debate over AI safety and increasingly autonomous systems.
Greater scrutiny of AI development could have implications for the technology sector after massive investment in chips, cloud computing and data centers helped fuel market gains.
Meanwhile, Boeing drew attention after The Wall Street Journal reported a software glitch affecting the 737 MAX. The issue can disable an automated navigation function during certain landing situations following a missed approach.
Boeing has notified operators and is developing a software fix. The company said the problem does not pose a safety risk, though investors are watching for any additional regulatory action.
With geopolitical risks, elevated oil prices, AI uncertainty and Boeing’s software issue in focus, Wall Street entered the new week under renewed pressure.
