{"id":60312,"date":"2026-03-29T20:38:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T00:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-plunge-as-trump-weighs-iran-military-action-oil-surges-3\/60312\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T20:38:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T00:38:17","slug":"global-markets-plunge-as-trump-weighs-iran-military-action-oil-surges-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-plunge-as-trump-weighs-iran-military-action-oil-surges-3\/60312\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Markets Plunge as Trump Weighs Iran Military Action; Oil Surges 3%"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Global equity markets are in a broad sell-off<\/strong>, led by a <strong>4.1% crash in the Nikkei 225<\/strong> and a <strong>4.7% drop in the KOSPI<\/strong>, following an escalation in the Middle East conflict.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Crude oil prices surged over 3%<\/strong> as the U.S. prepares to begin <strong>naval escorts for 20 large oil tankers<\/strong> in the Strait of Hormuz starting tomorrow morning.<\/li>\n<li><strong>President Donald <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a><\/strong> is reportedly evaluating a <strong>military mission to extract 450 kilograms of enriched uranium<\/strong> from Iran, according to the <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Bank of Japan (BOJ)<\/strong> signaled a hawkish stance in its March meeting summary, suggesting <strong>further rate hikes<\/strong> may be necessary to combat &quot;second-round&quot; price effects from soaring energy costs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>U.S. equity futures are trading sharply lower<\/strong>, with <strong>Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.9%<\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/markets\/sp500\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"snp500 today\">S&amp;P 500<\/a> futures falling 0.7%<\/strong> in early Monday trading.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Middle East Tensions Ignite Market Volatility<\/h2>\n<p>Global markets opened the week in a state of alarm following reports of intensified conflict in the Middle East. <strong>Asian-Pacific stocks plummeted<\/strong> after Yemeni Houthis joined the war and reports surfaced of <strong>U.S. and Israeli strikes<\/strong> on Iranian metal plants and energy infrastructure. The <strong>Nikkei 225<\/strong> led the decline with a <strong>4.1% loss<\/strong>, while the <strong>KOSPI<\/strong> shed <strong>4.7%<\/strong> and the <strong>ASX 200<\/strong> fell <strong>1.5%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In Europe, the outlook remains equally grim as <strong>Euro Stoxx 50 futures dropped 1.5%<\/strong> and <strong>DAX futures fell 1.5%<\/strong>. <em>Investors are fleeing to safe-haven assets<\/em> as the risk of a wider regional war threatens global energy supplies. <strong>Crude oil spiked more than 3%<\/strong> on the news, directly impacting sentiment across global trading floors.<\/p>\n<h2>Trump Signals Mixed Strategy on Iran<\/h2>\n<p>President <strong>Donald <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a><\/strong> has introduced significant geopolitical uncertainty with conflicting statements regarding Tehran. While Trump indicated that a <strong>deal with Iran is &quot;within reach&quot;<\/strong> and could be finalized &quot;fairly soon,&quot; he simultaneously suggested the U.S. could <strong>&quot;take the oil&quot;<\/strong> in Iran. This rhetoric was compounded by a <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> report claiming the administration is weighing a <strong>military operation to seize Iran&#39;s stockpile<\/strong> of approximately 450kg of enriched uranium.<\/p>\n<p>Adding to the tension, Trump announced that <strong>20 large oil tankers<\/strong> will begin transiting the <strong>Strait of Hormuz under U.S. escort<\/strong> starting tomorrow morning. This move aims to secure energy corridors but risks further direct confrontation with Iranian forces. Trump confirmed that the U.S. is currently holding both <strong>&quot;direct and indirect talks&quot;<\/strong> with Iranian officials, though he admitted an agreement may not be reached.<\/p>\n<h2>BOJ Maintains Hawkish Tilt Amid Energy Surge<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Bank of Japan (BOJ)<\/strong> released its March meeting summary, revealing a central bank prepared to tighten policy despite economic headwinds. One member emphasized that the BOJ must <strong>&quot;hike the policy rate decisively&quot;<\/strong> if the economy remains resilient, warning that lagging behind could force an <strong>&quot;aggressive tightening&quot;<\/strong> later that would damage the economy.<\/p>\n<p>The summary highlighted deep concerns over <strong>surging oil prices<\/strong>, with members noting that cost-driven pressure could lead to <strong>&quot;economic stagnation paired with rising prices.&quot;<\/strong> The Ministry of Finance (MOF) has urged the BOJ to work closely with the government to assess the impact of the Middle East conflict on the Japanese economy. <em>Market participants are now pricing in a higher probability of a rate hike<\/em> as the BOJ focuses on preventing core inflation from climbing well beyond its 2% target.<\/p>\n<h2>Trade and Transport Developments<\/h2>\n<p>In other global news, the <strong>World Trade Organization (WTO)<\/strong> conference chair announced that negotiations to extend the <strong>e-commerce tariff moratorium have expired<\/strong>. Talks are expected to resume in Geneva, but the lapse creates immediate uncertainty for global digital trade.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <strong>Air China (<a href=\"\/stock\/601111\">601111<\/a>)<\/strong> has reportedly restarted its flight route between <strong>Beijing and Pyongyang<\/strong>, according to CCTV. This move marks a significant step in the reopening of North Korean borders to international commercial traffic, even as regional tensions elsewhere continue to escalate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Global equity markets are in a broad sell-off, led by a 4.1% crash in the Nikkei 225 and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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