financetom
World
financetom
/
World
/
GLOBAL MARKETS-Asia markets choppy as threat of Trump Hormuz levy spooks traders
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
GLOBAL MARKETS-Asia markets choppy as threat of Trump Hormuz levy spooks traders
Jul 13, 2026 6:47 PM

* Brent crude extends gains above $85 as Trump threatens 20%

fee on cargo shipping

* MSCI Asia Pacific ex-Japan volatile, driven by Korean

stocks

* Hawkish comments from Fed's Waller lift odds of July rate

hike

By Gregor Stuart Hunter

SINGAPORE, July 14 (Reuters) - Stocks swung between gains

and losses and oil hit a one-month high in early Asian trading

on Tuesday after President Donald Trump said the U.S. was

reinstating its blockade of Iranian shipping in the Gulf and

would collect a 20% fee on cargo traversing the Strait of

Hormuz.

In a volatile start to the session, MSCI's broadest index of

Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.4%, led

by a 2.2% gain for Korean shares. Japan's Nikkei 225

was up 0.2%, while S&P 500 e-mini futures nudged

0.1% lower.

Brent crude futures climbed 2.6% to $85.50 a barrel,

their highest since mid-June, as trading resumed in Asia.

Markets were also rattled by hawkish comments on Monday from

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller, who said the U.S.

central bank may need to raise interest rates "in the near term"

if coming data show inflation continuing well above the 2%

target.

"While the risk had been building in the system over the

past week, markets reacted aggressively" to the latest headlines

from the Iran conflict, said Chris Weston, head of research at

Pepperstone Group Ltd in Melbourne.

"The prospect of tighter monetary policy into a potential

energy shock is rarely supportive for risk assets."

Overnight, stocks on Wall Street sold off and oil futures surged

more than 9% as conflict between the United States and Iran

re-ignited, once again throttling the flow of goods through the

Strait of Hormuz. The S&P 500 closed 0.8% lower and the

Nasdaq Composite fell 1.6%.

U.S. CPI data is due for release later on Tuesday, followed by

comments from Fed Chair Warsh, who will deliver the central

bank's semi-annual monetary policy report to Congress.

Fed funds futures are pricing in an implied 43.3%

probability of a 25-basis-point hike at the U.S. central bank's

next two-day meeting on July 28-29, compared to a 34.2% chance

on Friday, according to the CME Group's FedWatch tool.

The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury bond was up 2.2 basis

points at 4.6297%.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback's

strength against a basket of six currencies, held at 101.29,

trading around its highest levels of the month. Gold was

down 0.1% at $3,997.27.

In Seoul, stocks moved between negative and positive territory

on Tuesday as shares in SK Hynix ( SKHY ) veered between

gains and losses, falling as much as 4.7% in the first few

minutes of trading before rallying to trade up to 4.6% higher.

The volatility for the memory chipmaker comes after a dramatic

plunge a day earlier following its Nasdaq debut last week.

In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin was up 0.3% at

$62,318.43 while ether moved 0.7% higher to $1,777.63.

(Reporting by Gregor Stuart Hunter; Editing by Muralikumar

Anantharaman)

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
GLOBAL MARKETS-China gloom sucks life out of Asia's rate cut cheer
GLOBAL MARKETS-China gloom sucks life out of Asia's rate cut cheer
Mar 21, 2024
(Recasts to lead on Chinese markets, updates prices) By Rae Wee SINGAPORE, March 22 (Reuters) - Chinese stocks were a sea of red on Friday and the yuan fell sharply, dragging down the broader mood in Asia and putting a dent in the rate cut rally after a surprise move from the Swiss National Bank had investors wagering on who...
China yuan falls to four-month low, state banks step in
China yuan falls to four-month low, state banks step in
Mar 21, 2024
(Updates to midday) SHANGHAI, March 22 (Reuters) - China's yuan declined to a four-month low against the dollar on Friday, breaching a key threshold and prompting state-owned banks to step in to defend the currency. In the spot market, the onshore yuan fell to the weak side of the psychologically important 7.2 per dollar level to hit a low of...
Asia shares on a roll as SNB kicks off rate cuts
Asia shares on a roll as SNB kicks off rate cuts
Mar 21, 2024
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian stocks were near a weekly gain on Friday and the Nikkei charged to a record high, riding a rally from its global counterparts after a surprise rate cut from the Swiss National Bank had investors wagering who could be next. The SNB's 25 basis point rate cut on Thursday proved a shot in the arm for...
GLOBAL MARKETS-Asia shares on a roll as SNB kicks off rate cuts
GLOBAL MARKETS-Asia shares on a roll as SNB kicks off rate cuts
Mar 21, 2024
SINGAPORE, March 22 (Reuters) - Asian stocks were near a weekly gain on Friday and the Nikkei charged to a record high, riding a rally from its global counterparts after a surprise rate cut from the Swiss National Bank had investors wagering who could be next. The SNB's 25 basis point rate cut on Thursday proved a shot in the...
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved