Daily News
Iran Ceasefire Talks Intensify as Trump's 8 p.m. Tuesday Deadline Looms
07 April 2026
Today in Brief
Markets swung between gains and losses as Trump called Iran's ceasefire proposal "significant but not good enough," while threatening to destroy bridges and power plants within hours of his Tuesday evening deadline if Hormuz remains closed.
In tech, Samsung forecast an eightfold profit jump on AI chip demand, SpaceX outlined IPO plans targeting early June, and Broadcom signed a long-term deal to supply Google's custom AI chips through 2031.
Asia-Pacific markets trade mixed as investors assess Trump's hardened rhetoric on Iran war
Asia-Pacific markets whipsawed in volatile trading on Tuesday, with major indexes flipping to losses in the morning session, as traders assess Iran war-related developments. U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to target Iran's civilian infrastructure if a peace deal is not reached in less than 24 hours, while also signaling that the Iranian leadership was negotiating in earnest. Trump reiterated his demand for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz by 8 p.m. Tuesday, which would allow traffic to start flowing again through the vital route for global energy supplies — warning the U.S. would decimate every bridge and power plant within four hours of that deadline not being met.
S&P 500 posts fourth winning day, rising on hopes for last-minute Iran ceasefire
The S&P 500 rose on Monday for a fourth session as oil prices teetered and traders hoped that the U.S.-Iran war could end soon. The broad market index added 0.44% to close at 6,611.83, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.54% and ended at 21,996.34. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed about 165.21 points, or 0.36%, to settle at 46,669.88. Axios reported that the U.S., Iran, and a group of regional mediators were discussing terms for a potential 45-day ceasefire that could lead to a permanent end to the war, though the chances for reaching a partial deal before the Tuesday deadline were slim.
Gold steadied around $4,650 per ounce on Tuesday
Gold steadied around $4,650 per ounce on Tuesday after falling for two straight sessions, as investors focused on President Donald Trump's threat to target Iranian civilian infrastructure unless his demands are met, heightening concerns about the economic impact of a prolonged conflict. Trump warned he could strike Iranian power plants and bridges if his conditions are not met by Tuesday 8 p.m. Eastern Time, including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. This overshadowed signs that the US and Iran may be moving closer to a ceasefire agreement through mediators. Gold remains down about 12% since the conflict began, as surging energy prices tied to the Iran war fuelled inflation fears and increased the likelihood that central banks will delay cutting interest rates or even raise them.
WTI crude futures climbed toward $115 per barrel on Tuesday, trading near their highest close since June 2022
WTI crude futures climbed toward $115 per barrel on Tuesday, trading near their highest close since June 2022 as President Donald Trump's deadline for Iran to strike a deal or face intensified attacks approaches. Trump warned he would target Iranian power plants and bridges if his conditions are not met by Tuesday 8 p.m. Eastern Time, including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. This overshadowed signs that the US and Iran may be moving closer to a ceasefire agreement through mediators. Meanwhile, Tehran cautioned that it would retaliate against potential US strikes on civilian infrastructure by escalating its own attacks on energy assets in the Gulf, potentially worsening the global energy shortage.
Trump says Iran ceasefire proposal 'significant' but 'not good enough' as Hormuz Strait deadline nears
President Donald Trump on Monday said the latest proposal for a U.S. ceasefire with Iran is "not good enough," ahead of his fast-approaching deadline for Iran to either reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face major attacks on its civilian infrastructure. "They made a proposal, and it's a significant proposal. It's a significant step," Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn during the traditional Easter egg roll. "It's not good enough, but it's a very significant step," he said, adding, "They're negotiating now, and they've made a very significant step. We'll see what happens." Later, during a press conference at the White House, Trump reiterated his threats to attack Iran's energy and transportation infrastructure Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET if the strait is not reopened.
India turns to Iran for oil and gas after 7-year hiatus, signalling limits to U.S. tilt
India has begun buying oil and gas from Tehran after a seven year hiatus as it grapples with supply disruptions and elevated energy prices triggered by the U.S.-Israel war on Iran. The move to resume Iranian energy imports — the first purchases since 2019, according to energy intelligence firm Rystad Energy — is unlikely to draw immediate ire from Washington, but analysts say it underscores New Delhi's attempt to rebalance ties with Tehran. On Saturday, India's Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said Indian refiners had secured crude supplies from more than 40 countries, including Iran, amid disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict. The ministry denied that refiners faced any payment hurdles for Iranian crude and said a vessel carrying 44,000 metric tons of Iranian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) had berthed at a southern Indian port.
Artemis II breaks Apollo 13's distance record as humans travel farther from Earth than ever before
With the moon now filling their windows, the Artemis II astronauts set a record Monday as the farthest humans from Earth during a lunar flyby promising magnificent views of the far side never before witnessed. The six-hour flyby is the highlight of NASA's first return to the moon since the Apollo era with three Americans and one Canadian — a step toward landing boot prints near the moon's south pole in just two years. Less than an hour before kicking off the fly-around and intense lunar observations, the four astronauts surpassed the distance record of 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) set by Apollo 13 in April 1970. They kept going, hurtling ever farther from Earth. Before it was all over, Mission Control expected Artemis II to beat the old record by more than 4,100 miles (6,600 kilometres).
China's Xi urges faster development of new energy system as Middle East war continues
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for accelerated planning and construction of a new energy system to safeguard the country's energy security, weeks into the Iran war that has triggered global energy shocks. The leader of the world's second-largest economy also emphasized hydropower development and ecological protection, while urging the safe and orderly expansion of nuclear power, according to state broadcaster CCTV on Monday. "The Party Central Committee has gained a profound grasp of global energy development trends and made major decisions by advancing the new energy security strategy in depth," he said, referring to the ruling Communist Party's centre of authority. The United States and Iran have been weighing a Pakistani-brokered plan that could end their five-week-old conflict, even as Tehran pushed back against pressure to swiftly reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Apple's foldable iPhone faces engineering snags, potential shipment delays, reports
Apple has been encountering setbacks in the engineering test phase of its first foldable iPhone, which could lead to delays in its mass production and product shipment schedule, Nikkei Asia reported on Monday, citing sources. Engineering development issues could delay the first shipments of the foldable iPhones by months in a worst-case scenario, according to the report. "It's true that more issues than expected have emerged during the early test production phase, and additional time will be needed to resolve them and make necessary adjustments," the report said, quoting one source familiar with the matter. Reuters could not verify the report. Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment outside regular business hours in the United States.
Samsung shares rise after profit seen jumping 8-fold on AI chip boom
Shares of Samsung Electronics rose as much as 4.8% on Tuesday after the South Korean technology giant forecast record quarterly profit amid strong demand for artificial intelligence chips. Shares later pared gains to trade up 0.52%. In its preliminary earnings guidance, Samsung projected its operating profit for the January-March quarter to reach 57.2 trillion won ($37.8 billion), up more than eightfold from just 6.69 trillion won a year ago. That profit, if it comes to fruition, would represent a quarterly record — nearly three times the previous high — and would exceed estimates of 42.3 trillion won from LSEG SmartEstimate, which is weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate.
SpaceX lays out IPO details, targets early June roadshow, sources say
SpaceX outlined details of its highly anticipated IPO at a meeting with its team of bankers Monday night, telling them it plans to earmark a large portion of shares for retail investors and will host 1,500 of them at an event in June following the IPO roadshow launch, according to two people familiar with the matter. "Retail is going to be a critical part of this and a bigger part than any IPO in history," Chief Financial Officer Bret Johnsen said during the virtual meeting, the two people said, asking not to be identified because the discussion was private. Johnsen said the large retail component is by design as "those are folks that have been incredibly supportive of us and of Elon (Musk) for a long time, and we want to make sure that we recognize that." Reuters reported last month that SpaceX is rewriting the IPO playbook with a large retail portion in the offering.
Broadcom signs long-term deal to develop Google's custom AI chips
Broadcom said on Monday it has signed a long-term agreement with Google to develop and supply future generations of custom artificial intelligence chips and other components for the company's next-generation AI racks through 2031. The chip firm also signed a deal with Anthropic to provide the AI startup access to about 3.5 gigawatts of AI computing capacity drawing on Google's AI processors, starting in 2027. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed. Shares of Broadcom rose about 3% in extended trading. Demand for custom chips such as Google's tensor processing units (TPUs), used for AI workloads, has surged in recent years as businesses seek alternatives to Nvidia's pricey graphics processors. Reuters reported in December that Google was pushing to make its TPUs a viable alternative to Nvidia's market-leading GPUs.
