Shares fell, and oil prices fell again today after Tehran delivered a positive reaction during negotiations with US officials in Geneva about Iran’s nuclear program. This came after President Donald Trump’s rhetoric had been becoming worse for days.
Oil prices had gone up earlier as Trump made further threats against Iran, which is a major producer of crude oil. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated, “a new window of opportunity has opened,” according to AFP.
He said, “We are hopeful that negotiation will lead to a sustainable and negotiated solution.” However, he also said, “Iran remains fully prepared to defend itself against any threat or act of aggression.”
West Texas Intermediate fell 0.2 percent to $62.75 a barrel after rising 1.5 percent earlier. Brent North Sea Crude, the international benchmark, fell 1.4 percent to $67.64.
Aarin Chiekrie, an analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said, “There’s talk that Iran might agree to dilute its most highly enriched uranium in exchange for the full lifting of financial sanctions, but it’s not clear if that will be enough to seal a deal between the two parties.”
In the early hours of trading, Wall Street was down. The tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1%, the Dow down about 0.3%, and the broader-based S&P 500 fell 0.2%.
“Last week, insurance brokers, wealth advisors, real estate services, and logistics were all on the chopping block. Investors are keeping a close eye on what part of the market could be next on the AI hit list,” Chiekrie said.
After Tokyo closed lower, European stocks steadied in early afternoon trading. Chinese markets were closed again for the Lunar New Year.
The dollar went up against the British pound in foreign currency because government data showed that unemployment in the UK was at its highest level in five years.
Analysts noted that the 5.2 percent reading for the latter quarter of last year made it more likely that the Bank of England would lower its benchmark interest rate next month.
The dollar was also stronger against the euro, while it was weaker against the yen.
The Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Germany stated today that the country’s economy is unlikely to bounce back in 2026 because of geopolitical uncertainties, high costs, and sluggish domestic demand.
After two years of recession, Germany’s economy grew slowly again in 2025.
– Important numbers at about 1445 GMT –
New York: The Dow is down 0.3% at 49,366.16 points.
The S&P 500 in New York is down 0.2% at 6,820.63.
New York: The Nasdaq is down 1.0 percent at 22,486.46.
FTSE 100 in London is up 0.4% at 10,517.01.
Paris’s CAC 40 index rose by 0.3% to 8,343.55.
Frankfurt: The DAX is up 0.4 percent at 24,897.35.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.4 percent to 56,566.49 (close).
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was closed for the vacation.
Shanghai Composite: closed for the holiday
The euro/dollar pair is down from $1.1854 yesterday to $1.1820 today.
The pound is down from $1.3630 to $1.3526.
The dollar/yen rate went down from 153.48 yen to 153.40 yen.
The euro/pound rate went up from 86.98 pence to 87.40 pence.
West Texas Intermediate: $62.75 per barrel, down 0.2%
Brent North Sea Crude is down 1.4 percent to $67.64 a barrel.
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