{"id":63200,"date":"2026-06-15T12:08:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T16:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-and-iran-sign-historic-mou-to-reopen-strait-of-hormuz-markets-surge\/63200\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T12:08:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T16:08:18","slug":"us-and-iran-sign-historic-mou-to-reopen-strait-of-hormuz-markets-surge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-and-iran-sign-historic-mou-to-reopen-strait-of-hormuz-markets-surge\/63200\/","title":{"rendered":"US and Iran Sign Historic MOU to Reopen Strait of Hormuz; Markets Surge"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>US and Iran sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)<\/strong> to immediately reopen the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>, ending a 100-day blockade and sending <strong>Brent <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/energy\/crude-oil\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"12\" title=\"Crude oil\">crude oil<\/a><\/strong> prices down more than <strong>$4 per barrel<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The deal includes a potential <strong>$300 billion rebuilding fund<\/strong> for Iran and the release of <strong>$24 billion in frozen assets<\/strong>, though US officials stress that relief is strictly tied to performance.<\/li>\n<li><strong>European stock markets<\/strong> closed mostly higher on the news, with the <strong>DAX 30<\/strong> rising <strong>1.15%<\/strong> and the <strong>IBEX 35<\/strong> surging <strong>1.45%<\/strong>, while the <strong>FTSE 100<\/strong> lagged with a <strong>0.38%<\/strong> decline.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Crypto investors<\/strong> pulled a record <strong>$6.6 billion<\/strong> over the last five weeks as ETF outflows accelerate amid macroeconomic shifts and geopolitical volatility.<\/li>\n<li><strong>California\u2019s labor market<\/strong> shows signs of distress as long-term unemployment (27 weeks or more) surged to <strong>27%<\/strong>, even as the headline unemployment rate remains steady at <strong>5.3%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In a landmark diplomatic breakthrough, a senior US official confirmed on Monday that <strong>President Donald Trump<\/strong>, <strong>Vice President JD Vance<\/strong>, and the <strong>Iranian Parliamentary Speaker<\/strong> have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to end hostilities. The agreement provides for the <strong>immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz<\/strong> and the lifting of the US naval blockade on Iran. While the opening is effective immediately, officials cautioned that clearing mines and restoring normal traffic flow may take <strong>one to two weeks<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The MOU outlines a comprehensive framework for economic and security cooperation, including a proposed <strong>$300 billion international fund<\/strong> dedicated to rebuilding Iran&#39;s infrastructure. Additionally, the deal facilitates the release of <strong>$24 billion in frozen Iranian funds<\/strong>, with half potentially available before the start of a 60-day technical discussion period. However, US officials emphasized that all <strong>sanctions relief<\/strong> and fund disbursements are contingent upon Iran&#39;s continued compliance and performance.<\/p>\n<p>Global financial markets reacted sharply to the de-escalation of Middle Eastern tensions. In Europe, the <strong>DAX 30<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/DAX\">^GDAXI<\/a>) climbed <strong>1.15%<\/strong> to close at <strong>24,895.00<\/strong>, while Spain&#39;s <strong>IBEX 35<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/IBEX\">^IBEX<\/a>) led gains with a <strong>1.45%<\/strong> jump. France&#39;s <strong>CAC 40<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/CAC40\">^FCHI<\/a>) also finished higher, gaining <strong>0.40%<\/strong>. Conversely, the UK&#39;s <strong>FTSE 100<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/FTSE\">^FTSE<\/a>) struggled, closing down <strong>0.38%<\/strong> as energy heavyweights like BP (<a href=\"\/stock\/BP\">BP<\/a>) and Shell (<a href=\"\/stock\/SHEL\">SHEL<\/a>) faced pressure from tumbling oil prices.<\/p>\n<p>The cryptocurrency sector continues to face a massive &quot;exodus,&quot; with investors withdrawing a record <strong>$6.6 billion<\/strong> over the past five weeks. Spot <strong>Bitcoin<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/BTC\">BTC<\/a>) ETFs, including BlackRock\u2019s IBIT (<a href=\"\/stock\/IBIT\">IBIT<\/a>), have seen accelerating outflows as high interest rates and geopolitical shifts drive a &quot;risk-off&quot; sentiment. Analysts note that crypto fund flows are increasingly mirroring debt markets rather than technology stocks, suggesting a structural shift in how institutional allocators view digital assets.<\/p>\n<p>Domestically, <strong>California&#39;s job market<\/strong> is flashing warning signs despite the state&#39;s leadership in nominal job creation. New data shows that <strong>long-term unemployment<\/strong>\u2014defined as being out of work for 27 weeks or more\u2014has surged to <strong>27%<\/strong> of all unemployed residents, up from 21% in 2023. While Governor Gavin Newsom highlighted the addition of over <strong>131,000 jobs<\/strong> in the past year, the rising &quot;underutilization&quot; rate and stalling hiring in tech and construction suggest a widening gap in the state&#39;s economic recovery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways US and Iran sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz, ending a [&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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