* Dollar at one-year highs, keeps yen near intervention zone
* Oil prices rise on peace deal uncertainty
* U.S. rate-hike odds keep dollar supported
* Tech valuation worries linger
(Updates to Asia late morning)
By Ankur Banerjee
SINGAPORE, June 29 (Reuters) - Asian stocks wobbled on
Monday after Iran and the United States agreed to halt renewed
hostilities that had cast a shadow over an interim peace deal
and kept oil prices supported, while the dollar stood tall near
a one-year high on rate-hike bets.
A return to diplomacy in the Middle East would follow
several days of tit-for-tat strikes since an Iranian projectile
hit a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz last week, with both
sides accusing each other of breaking an interim ceasefire.
Futures for S&P 500 and Nasdaq gained 0.4%
while European futures rose 0.2%. South Korea's KOSPI
fell nearly 2%, while Japan's Nikkei slipped 1%,
leaving MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares
down 0.4%.
"It feels like we are lacking a bit of direction," said
Nick Twidale, chief market strategist at ATFX Global in Sydney.
"We may get a shot in the arm later today from more positive
news out of the Middle East... but at the moment I think it's
going to be a bit of a flow-driven day without major moves to
either side," Twidale said.
Worries over the future of the peace deal lifted oil prices,
which have given up almost all of their war-driven gains as
markets quickly reprice the prospect of easing supply.
On Monday, Brent crude futures climbed 0.85% to
$72.6 a barrel while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude
rose over 1% to $70.01 a barrel.
The 14-point interim peace accord agreed on June 17 was
meant to halt the fighting, which the U.S. and Israel started on
February 28, and reopen the critical strait while talks
proceeded on issues such as Iran's nuclear programme.
"Markets enter July with a ceasefire that nobody quite
trusts," said Marc Chandler, chief market strategist at
Bannockburn Capital Markets.
TECH WORRIES LINGER
Investors have also been battling concerns that valuations
for AI-related firms have become stretched following years of
gains, with Micron's strong earnings forecast and Apple's price
hikes last week underscoring the contrasting challenges.
Markets are undergoing a tactical rotation away from
mega-cap AI into smaller, more cyclical segments, marking early
signs of broadening after extreme concentration, strategists at
BofA Global Research said in a note.
The Bank for International Settlements cautioned over the
durability of the current AI investment surge, noting supply
bottlenecks and intense competition could spur the kind of
overinvestment seen in previous boom-and-bust cycles.
Jose Torres, senior economist at Interactive Brokers, said
the rising costs tied to modern infrastructure have firms
scrambling for cash on their balance sheets and adding to risks
if those investments fail to deliver.
"For this reason, traders have gravitated toward the
defensive and cyclically oriented areas of the equity space in
recent weeks," Torres said.
RISING RATE HIKE WAGERS
Easing oil prices may help reduce some inflation pressure
but elevated prices are likely to keep the U.S. Federal Reserve
under pressure to raise rates. Investors are pricing in at least
one hike this year, a sharp reversal from expectations of two
rate cuts before the conflict began.
BofA strategists anticipate three hikes, a more hawkish view
that reflects a firmer labour backdrop, the new Fed Chair Kevin
Warsh and a persistent inflation problem.
Rising odds of a rate hike have lifted the dollar. The
dollar index, which measures the U.S. currency against
six other units, was at 101.33, just below the one-year high it
touched last week.
The Japanese yen was languishing at 161.77 per U.S.
dollar as fears of another bout of intervention from Tokyo kept
the fragile currency from breaking through its lowest in 40
years.
The rising dollar has weighed on gold, which was down
0.4% at $4,072 per ounce. The yellow metal is set for a 13%
decline in the second quarter, its biggest quarterly drop since
2013.