Good morning, you're listening to Markets Desk.
The geopolitical backdrop is driving markets hard this Friday. President Trump told Fox News he has no regrets about initiating the Iran conflict, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added fuel to the fire, announcing that a large bank will face sanctions on Monday as part of Washington's escalating economic pressure campaign against Tehran. The combination of military engagement and financial warfare is rattling investors on multiple fronts.
That uncertainty fed directly into Thursday's equity selloff, where surging crude prices stoked fears of renewed inflationary pressure and raised the odds of additional Federal Reserve rate hikes. The S&P five hundred shed roughly six-tenths of a percent, the Dow matched that decline, and the Nasdaq one hundred underperformed, dropping over one percent as rate-sensitive growth names bore the brunt of the selling.
The damage is spreading into Asia overnight. Tokyo's Nikkei two twenty-five has fallen sharply below sixty-three thousand five hundred fifty, reversing the prior session's gains as exporters and index heavyweights drag the index lower. Taiwan is similarly under pressure, with the broader regional picture reflecting Wall Street's unease and the growing uncertainty around Middle East developments and their downstream effects on energy costs and monetary policy.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
