Asian markets today: Asian markets opened higher on Tuesday, April 14, buoyed by optimism that a potential agreement between Washington and Tehran could still be reached, even as the US continues to block Iranian shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 1% in early Asian trading. Japan’s Nikkei 225 and South Korea’s Kospi each advanced by over 2%.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.88%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures were last at 25,924, compared with the previous close of 25,660.85, on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Indian stock market will remain closed for trading on Tuesday on the account of Ambedkar Jayanti.

US-Iran war ceasefire talks

Market rally came after Trump claimed that Iran had approached his administration for possible peace negotiations, even as the US moved ahead with a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in the seventh week of the conflict. With Tehran yet to confirm any further talks, investors remain cautious, wary of fresh volatility amid lingering escalation risks.

The US announced on Monday that it had begun blocking ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, in a bid to increase pressure on Iran to reopen the crucial oil transit route after peace talks collapsed over the weekend. The blockade came into force at 10 a.m. ET.

Iranian officials pushed back, warning that the US action would only drive global energy prices higher.

“Enjoy the current pump figures. With the so-called ‘blockade’, Soon you’ll be nostalgic for $4–$5 gas,” Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said in a post on X.

US stock market today

Overnight on Wall Street, futures linked to the S&P 500 were largely unchanged. S&P 500 futures edged up 0.06%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gained 10 points, or 0.02%, and Nasdaq-100 futures advanced around 0.2%.

On Monday, the S&P 500 climbed as investors remained hopeful of a potential agreement between the U.S. and Iran. The benchmark index rose 1.02% to close at 6,886.24, marking its highest level since before the conflict began.

The Nasdaq Composite increased 1.23% to finish at 23,183.74, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 301.68 points, or 0.63%, to settle at 48,218.25.

Meanwhile, the dollar slipped to a one-and-a-half-month low of 98.328 against a basket of currencies on Tuesday, as improving risk appetite reduced demand for the safe-haven currency. The euro inched up 0.05% to $1.1764, and the British pound climbed to a more than six-week high of $1.3514.

Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. Please consult with an investment advisor before making any investment decisions.