Investors continue to be bewitched by artificial intelligence and it would seem that they want to put aside the crisis in the Middle East and its repercussions on oil prices Petroleum e on inflation. Moreover, the month of May has highlighted stellar earnings for the entire technology sector, starting from that Asian which is still galloping today. Yet oil, although below $100, showed an increase this morning.
I talks to achieve peace between Iran and the USA They are currently on standby, but in the meantime, mutual attacks continue. Defense Secretary Hegseth said the United States could resume attacks against Iran if an adequate agreement is not reached. This morning, news came that the US forces struck Iranian targets over the weekend, while theIran he said he had targeted a air base Usa and the defenses Kuwaiti would have intercepted missile and drone attacks. Meanwhile, the United States and Iran exchanged messages requesting amendments to a draft agreement which would extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, although it was not yet clear whether the talks were making significant progress.
At present, the traffic maritime through the Strait of Hormuz remains very small, with only eight ships leaving on May 30, including just two tankers, whereas before the war, the daily average was around 136 ships. Commodity analysts have long been warning that in mid-June le stocks global oil supplies would have declined to the point of causing a real shortage shock. So time is running out. Yet the Brent is well below $100, even after rising 2,5% to $93,40 today.
Asia rallying strongly, with Seoul's Kospi soaring, led by Samsung and LG.
Asia is starting June with the same excitement it closed the previous month. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index is up 1,2%, hitting a new record, thanks to the boost from tech-heavy stocks in South Korea and Taiwan in particular. Financial markets in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand are closed today for national holidays.
Il May brought great gifts for the Asian market. The main index of the South Korea rose 28% in May, while Taiwan gained 15% and the Nikkei the 12%.
Il Kospi In particular, it has grown more than 100% since the beginning of the year, led by chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, after a 76% increase last year. Samsung Electronics It also rose another 10% today, thanks to the start of shipments of a new type of faster chip. Goldman Sachs raised its price target from 360.000 to 480.000 won. The tech boom was also highlighted by the surprising commercial data of South Korea, where the exports increased by 53% in May compared to the previous year, reaching almost 88 billion dollars, exceeding expectations and recording the largest percentage increase since 1984. In particular the semiconductor exports grew by 169% and those of computers by 291%. Yet the korean won is not far from historic lows, suggesting that Korea's dollar earnings remain in dollars and are not being converted. Presumably much of this is held in US government bonds, so the AI boom is indirectly helping the Trump administration finance its massive budget deficit. But that would be a double-edged sword. The actions of LG Electronics gained as much as around 25%, before settling at +15%, after quadrupling this year, as investors welcomed the historic Korean appliance maker's move to robotics. Having largely remained on the sidelines of Korea's chip-fueled AI rally last year, the stock has begun to gain momentum in recent months.
today Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang He is opening Computex in Taipei with a speech on artificial intelligence, during which he is expected to present his company's latest products, as well as the huge investment planned for TaiwanLG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo will meet with Huang on June 5, with the two executives expected to discuss expanding cooperation in physical AI.
In Japan, the index Nikkei is up 0,7%, at a new historical highThe Japanese telecommunications and investment giant Softbank has become the company with highest value on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, surpassing the car manufacturer Toyota, who held the record for 22 years, thanks to its investments in artificial intelligence. SoftBank, whose shares rose as much as 8%, reached a market capitalization of 46 trillion yen (about $288 billion or €248 billion), temporarily surpassing Toyota, whose shares lost more than 4% on the same day. According to the Japanese economic daily Nikkei, shares were further supported by news of investments of up to 75 billion euros in the construction of a AI data centers in France. S&P Global's Japanese manufacturing PMI remained at 54,5 in May 2026, in line with preliminary estimates and following April's reading of 55,1, the highest since January 2022.
In ChinaHong Kong's Hang Seng Index is up 0,7%. The CSI 300 index in Shanghai and Shenzhen is down 0,4%. Taipei's Taiex is up 1,7%, a new record.
Sul currency market, The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0,1%, theeuro fell 0,1% to $1,1647. It yen Japanese yen fell 0,1% to 159,47 per dollar. Among the cryptocurrency, Bitcoin fell 0,3% to $73.411,54 and ether fell 0,3% to $1.997,99. On bond marketThe 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose three basis points to 4,46 percent, while the Japanese 10-year Treasury yield rose 3,5 basis points to 2,685 percent.'gold spot fell 0,6% to $4.513,87 an ounce.
Wall Street closed at new highs on Friday. It awaits employment data this week.
Wall Street hit new all-time highs on Friday. U.S. stock indices continued their upward trend last week, with the benchmark S&P 500 index posting a gain for the ninth consecutive week. The index is up more than 10% since the beginning of the year, while the Nasdaq Composite is up 16%.semiconductor index The Philadelphia Stock Exchange closed its best quarter ever after a 69% surge over the past two months. The semiconductor sector is by far the best-performing sector in the S&P 500 index this year. Shares of Micron Technology Inc. has more than tripled this year.
This week investors will focus on a major update from the job market, assessing whether pent-up inflation and the potential rise in interest rates could dampen the rally in U.S. stocks.
Broadcom It will also publish quarterly results. Another test for the AI sector.
European stock markets opened little changed. At the Milan Stock Exchange, attention was focused on banks, Stellantis, Leonardo, and Fincantieri.
European stock markets are seen opening little changed, with the Eurostoxx 50 futures index down 0,1%.
Amplifon – In an interview with Corriere della Sera, CEO Enrico Vita, after the 453 million ABB, confirmed organic growth of at least 3% for the current year.
Fincantieri – Vard subsidiary has been awarded a record €700 million order by Inkfish, bringing the Offshore & Specialized Vessels division's year-to-date order intake to approximately €720 million, equivalent to approximately 45% of the division's full-year 2026 guidance.
Leonardo: has received an order from the Romanian government for two C-27J Spartan aircraft.
banksThe media are reporting various consolidation scenarios in the sector. Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena is being considered a potential acquisition target for Banco BPM, UniCredit, and Intesa Sanpaolo.
Stellantis – The revision of the North American Trade Agreement (USMCA) appears to confirm the current regulatory framework, with only a slight increase in local content requirements. This could benefit groups like Stellantis, given the strong integration of their supply chain in the region and their reduced dependence on foreign imports.
