There continues to remain skepticism over whether US and Iran will reach a deal, calling an end to the month-long war that has sent energy prices soaring and global equities tumbling.
Iran reiterated its conditions to end the war, with its Foreign Minister telling Reuters that relaying of messages via intermediaries cannot constitute as talks. He also said that while the 15-point plan of the US is being reviewed by higher authorities in Tehran, there are no talks with the US currently taking place.Among Iran’s conditions include recognition of Iran’s right to control the Strait of Hormuz, reparations of the war, and future guarantees that such a situation will not arise again, among others, as stated by its Press TV.
Trump also said that Iran allowed 10 oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, disclosing his “present” that he teased on Wednesday. Oil prices though, are slightly lower this morning, but not before rebounding back above $105 a barrel on the Brent variant overnight.
Memory Chip stocks were the biggest drag on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq on Thursday, with shares of Nvidia, AMD, Sandisk, Western Digital and Micron declining between 4% to 11% after Google publicized a research on a new algorithm that can allow more efficient use of storage needed to develop Artificial Intelligence.
The US Dollar index is back near levels of 100. Gold and Silver prices, are staging a small rebound this morning after the overnight fall, while Bitcoin will see an options expiry today worth over $14 billion.
