World shares and U.S. futures fell on Thursday as oil prices rose more than 2% after Iran's state television reported that seven oil tankers caught fire and were damaged in the Strait of Hormuz. If verified, it would be the largest number of vessels damaged in the waterway in a single day since the Iran war began on Feb. 28. Brent crude rose 3.2% to $112.27 a barrel, having traded between $97 and $112 recently amid uncertainty about when the global energy industry will return to normal. Asian markets slid, with Japan's Nikkei 225 down 2.7% and South Korea's Kospi down 3.5%, hit by selling in big tech and memory chip makers, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 3%. Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 also fell in early European trading.
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oil pricesStrait of HormuzIrangeopoliticsgold
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Related tickers and likely impact
SPY
▼ Likely negativeSPDR S&P 500 ETF
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | ETF |
| Close on 10/21/2026 | 773.13 |
| Change that session | +0.53% |
XAU/USD
▲ Likely positiveRelevance: low
| Market | Gold |
|---|---|
| Close on 10/21/2026 | 4,141.17 |
| Change that session | +0.39% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
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