By Chelsey Dulaney
Oil prices have lurched higher as the U.S. prepares to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, but other financial markets are relatively calm today.
U.S. stock futures are down less than 1%, and even shares in Asia- which have been hit hardest by the war -fell only modestly. Treasury yields are also little changed.
Investors say the collapse of U.S.-Iran peace talks over the weekend has dented optimism for a quick resolution of the war. But many of them aren't giving up hope yet. Here's what a few investors and analysts had to say:
There could be another round of talks.
"Both sides have an incentive to find a diplomatic solution," wrote a UBS Global Wealth Management team led by Mark Haefele in a note to clients today.
UBS pointed to comments from Iran's lead negotiator, who said over the weekend that the U.S. was "unable in this round of talks to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation". That remark suggests that there will be another round of talks, according to UBS.
'Diplomacy never ends'
Deutsche Bank strategist Jim Reid also said "something might still be worked out in the days ahead." He pointed to comments from Iran's foreign ministry spokesman that "diplomacy never ends" and President Trump's own statement that during weekend talks "the meeting went well, most points were agreed to," with Iran's nuclear program being the main sticking point.
The cease-fire is fragile but still holding
Saxo Bank's Charu Chanana said the failure of talks "does not yet signal an automatic return to the worst-case scenario."
Further talks are still on the table, and the truce remains in place, though the Trump administration is weighing new limited strikes on Iran.
Chanana cautioned that if strikes resume, or the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports turns into a wider naval conflict, markets are likely to take another beating. "Then the market will start to price a much more dangerous scenario," she said.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 13, 2026 06:39 ET (10:39 GMT)
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