Trump Flags End to Iran Conflict, Sparking 5% Korea Surge After Best US Day Since May

TradingKey - On Wednesday, April 1, Japanese and South Korean stock markets opened sharply higher, tracking an overnight rally in U.S. equities. South Korea's KOSPI index opened up 5.3%, reclaiming the 5,300 level. During the session, KOSPI 200 futures rose 5%, triggering a circuit breaker and prompting the Korea Exchange to suspend programmed trading for five minutes. The Nikkei 225 index opened 1.73% higher and has since gained over 1,800 points, with the advance widening to more than 3.5% as of press time.

During the U.S. trading session on March 31, U.S. stocks rallied across the board, posting their largest single-day gains since May of last year as both the U.S. and Iran signaled a potential end to the Middle East conflict. The Nasdaq rose 3.83%, the S&P 500 gained 2.91%, and the Dow climbed 1,125 points, or 2.49%.

Regarding the news, Iranian President Pezeshkian stated that Iran has the necessary will to end the war but requires guarantees against future aggression. Following this news, WTI and Brent crude plummeted intraday, with Brent's decline being more pronounced, causing the spread between the two benchmarks to widen to its largest since December 2013.

U.S. President Trump said the United States would conclude hostilities against Iran within "two to three weeks." The White House later announced that Trump will address the nation at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday to provide an important update on Iran.