{"id":60654,"date":"2026-04-07T20:38:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T00:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-surge-as-us-and-iran-agree-to-two-week-ceasefire\/60654\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T20:38:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T00:38:17","slug":"global-markets-surge-as-us-and-iran-agree-to-two-week-ceasefire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-surge-as-us-and-iran-agree-to-two-week-ceasefire\/60654\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Markets Surge as US and Iran Agree to Two-Week Ceasefire"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Global markets rallied sharply after a two-week ceasefire agreement<\/strong> was reached between the US, Iran, and their respective allies, narrowly avoiding a major escalation before a key diplomatic deadline.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Asian equities led the surge<\/strong>, with the <strong>Nikkei 225<\/strong> gaining over 4% and South Korea&#39;s <strong>KOSPI<\/strong> jumping 5.9%, triggering a &quot;sidecar&quot; trading halt for the first time in months.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Geopolitical tensions remain fragile<\/strong> as the ceasefire follows a final wave of missile exchanges involving Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia just hours before the truce took effect.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Japan\u2019s economic outlook strengthened<\/strong> as real wages rose at their fastest pace since 2021, providing the Bank of Japan (BoJ) with further justification for its interest rate hike trajectory.<\/li>\n<li><strong>SK Hynix (<a href=\"\/stock\/000660\">000660<\/a>)<\/strong> signaled continued dominance in the semiconductor space by commencing the supply of the world\u2019s first <strong>321-layer QLC NAND SSD<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Geopolitical Breakthrough Sparks Risk-On Sentiment<\/h2>\n<p>A <strong>two-week ceasefire agreement<\/strong> between the United States, Iran, and regional allies has officially entered into force, according to reports from <em>Axios<\/em> and the Iraqi Foreign Ministry. The truce was finalized just before a deadline set by the <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a> administration, effectively suspending military operations across the Middle East, including Lebanon.<\/p>\n<p>Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who played a central role in the mediation, has invited delegations to <strong>Islamabad on April 10<\/strong> to negotiate a more permanent resolution to regional disputes. Despite the diplomatic success, the hours leading up to the ceasefire were marked by violence, with <strong>missile intercepts reported over Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain<\/strong>, and a new wave of Iranian missiles targeting central and southern Israel.<\/p>\n<h2>Asian Markets Explode Higher<\/h2>\n<p>Equity markets in the Asia-Pacific region reacted with euphoria to the de-escalation of conflict. The <strong>Nikkei 225<\/strong> surged <strong>4.1% to reach 55,618.15<\/strong>, while South Korea\u2019s <strong>KOSPI<\/strong> saw gains of <strong>5.9%<\/strong>, prompting the Korea Exchange to trigger a five-minute &quot;sidecar&quot; halt on program trading after futures surged more than 5%.<\/p>\n<p>In Australia, the <strong>ASX 200<\/strong> rose <strong>2.6%<\/strong>, and the <strong>MSCI Asia ex-Japan Index<\/strong> climbed <strong>2.2%<\/strong> in early trade. European markets are expected to follow suit, with <strong>DAX futures climbing 4.2%<\/strong> and <strong>FTSE futures up 2.4%<\/strong> as risk appetite returns to the global stage.<\/p>\n<h2>Japan\u2019s Economic Data Supports Hawkish BoJ<\/h2>\n<p>While geopolitics dominated the headlines, domestic data in Japan suggests a tightening labor market. <strong>Real wages in Japan rose at their fastest pace since 2021<\/strong>, a development that <em>Bloomberg<\/em> analysts suggest will keep the Bank of Japan on its path toward further interest rate hikes.<\/p>\n<p>The country&#39;s <strong>Current Account Balance for February hit \u00a53932.7B<\/strong>, significantly exceeding the estimated \u00a53479.8B. Despite the broader market rally, the <strong>Japan Mining Index dropped 2.8%<\/strong>, making it the worst-performing sector as oil and commodity-related hedges were unwound following the ceasefire news.<\/p>\n<h2>Corporate and Political Developments<\/h2>\n<p>In the technology sector, <strong>SK Hynix (<a href=\"\/stock\/000660\">000660<\/a>)<\/strong> announced it has begun supplying the industry&#39;s first <strong>321-layer QLC NAND SSD<\/strong>, further solidifying its lead in high-density storage solutions. Meanwhile, in the real estate sector, <strong>E-House China (<a href=\"\/stock\/2048\">2048<\/a>)<\/strong> commenced restructuring schemes in Hong Kong and the Cayman Islands, with nearly <strong>67% of offshore debt holders<\/strong> entering a support agreement.<\/p>\n<p>In US political news, Republican <strong>Clay Fuller<\/strong> won the Georgia special runoff to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in the House of Representatives. On the diplomatic front, US Secretary of State <strong>Marco Rubio<\/strong> is scheduled to meet with NATO Secretary General <strong>Mark Rutte<\/strong> later today to discuss the implications of the regional truce and broader alliance strategy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Global markets rallied sharply after a two-week ceasefire agreement was reached between the US, Iran, and their respective 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