Peace talks between the US and Iran have calmed markets and lowered oil prices - 25.5.2026

The US dollar is dropping against other major global currencies. Because the situation in the Middle East is calming down, investors no longer feel the need to hide their money in safe assets.

• AUD/USD dollar went up slightly because investors are feeling good about the global economy. But US interest rates are still more attractive, so the Aussie dollar could drop again if upcoming economic data is weak.
• EUR/GBP are barely moving against each other. Trading is very quiet because the UK market is closed today, though big investors favor the Euro a bit more since European manufacturing is starting to look stable.
• EUR/USD rose about 0.3% to around $1.16. A weaker US dollar, combined with investors canceling their bets against the Euro, allowed Europe's currency to get a little boost.
• USD/JPY recovered a little bit, but that might not last long since experts don't think the Bank of Japan will raise interest rates fast enough.

• ASX 200 closed up 0.5%, because bank stocks did well, which balanced out a slight drop in oil and gas companies.
• Dow Jones: even though the actual US stock market is closed for Memorial Day, pre-market trading is up. Investors are confident that peace in the Middle East will lead to better company profits this summer.
• GB 100 (UK) - London stock market is closed today for a public holiday.
• Nasdaq jumped significantly, thanks to good earnings reports last quarter, where 84% of big tech companies beat expectations, mostly because of massive spending on AI.
• Nikkei jumped over 3% and hit an all-time high record. A weak Yen and a massive surge in computer chip and tech equipment stocks drove the market up.
• S&P 500 (US) - pre-market trading is up 0.9%, closing all-time high. Trading data shows big institutional funds are pouring money back into tech and retail stocks now that the oil crisis is cooling down.

Brent dropped over 5% to around $95.70 a barrel, but prices will stay bumpy until a deal between the US and Iran is actually signed.
WTI fell below key support level, this drop comes right as the US enters the heavy summer driving season, when gas demand is usually at its peak.

Bitcoin dropped slightly today. However, traders are still incredibly optimistic for the long haul, with top analysts still predicting Bitcoin will eventually hit $250,000.

Ethereum followed Bitcoin's lead, moving sideways in a tight range. Even though network activity has slowed down a bit, money is flowing and keeping market stable.