Good morning, you're listening to Markets Desk.
U.S. stock futures opened the week firmly in the green after President Trump stepped back from planned strikes on Iran late Saturday, signaling a willingness to pursue renewed talks. Futures on the S&P five hundred climbed nearly half a percent, while Nasdaq futures surged close to one percent, reflecting genuine relief across risk assets.
That geopolitical exhale came alongside a significant development in currency markets, as Japan's Finance Ministry confirmed it conducted coordinated yen-buying intervention with the U.S. Treasury on Friday. The joint action marks a rare instance of bilateral currency coordination and signals both governments are prepared to defend the yen further if pressure returns.
Meanwhile, South Korea's Kospi delivered one of its most dramatic single-session moves in recent memory, surging eighteen percent on Friday in a surge that market watchers are reading as a broader signal that institutional investors are rotating back into equities. The index has become something of a global sentiment barometer, and Friday's move carried weight well beyond Seoul.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
