Asian stocks rose on Tuesday while crude oil prices fell, after former President Donald Trump signaled that the war with Iran could be nearing an end, boosting investor sentiment following Monday’s selloff in risk assets.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index climbed 2.4%, with technology shares leading the gains, after earlier rising as much as 3.4%. European markets were also poised to advance. However, equity-index futures for the S&P 500 Index dipped 0.4%, suggesting the recovery on Wall Street may be losing momentum.
Trump told reporters that the conflict with Iran would be resolved “very soon,” although he added he did not expect it to conclude this week. Despite the easing in sentiment, several Middle Eastern countries—including the UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait—reported missile threats, sounded sirens, or intercepted drones on Tuesday, keeping geopolitical risks elevated.
In commodities, Brent crude fell 4.6% to $94.36 a barrel, after an earlier decline of up to 11%. Even with Tuesday’s drop, oil prices have surged more than 50% so far in 2026. Analysts note that these sharp reversals underscore how sensitive markets have become to headlines from the Middle East conflict.
