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The next round of talks is scheduled for Thursday in Islamabad, according to a source from Iran cited by the Atlantic.

That's another positive sign.

It seems highly likely that the US thinks it can get a deal on nuclear material in exchange for whatever Iran is reasonably asking for (sanctions relief +).

Next round of Iran-US direct talks will be held in Islamabad on Thursday, a source in Tehran tells me

That's via @arash_tehran

This article was written by Adam Button at investinglive.com.

• Vance has done a good job on Iran talks, they want to make a deal badly
• Says sticking point is on nuclear
• Iran didn't agree not to have a nuclear weapon
• Thinks Iran will now agree on nuclear
• We'll get nuclear material back
• If Iran doesn't agree to no nuclear weapons, there will be no deal
• We can't let Iran blackmail the world
• Many countries are coming to the US for oil, we'll see if we get a deal before they get here
• We were called this morning by the right people and they want a deal
• Iran wants to be a nuclear nation so they can 'exterminate the world'
• We may stop by Cuba after we're finished with this

A short time ago, Trump also wrote:

34 Ships went through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, which is by far the highest number since this foolish…

The price of crude oil is settling at $96.57. That is down $-1.30 or -1.33% on the day.

For the week, the price is down $-16 or -14.29%. The price is also below the 100 and 200 hour moving averages at $102.87 and $103.57. The big catalyst was the announcement of a cease-fire and the potential for the re-opening of the Straits of Hormuz. Although, not fully open (it is virtually closed still), the market is discounting some sort of reopening soon). The June contract is trading at $89.13.

The price low on February 26 came in at $63.81, just ahead of the war starting on February 28. The initial upside move pushed prices to a close of $71.02 on March 2, before momentum accelerated sharply. That surge over the next few days took the price to a…

A new report from Axios' Barak Ravid says Iran was caught off guard by JD Vance leaving talks in Pakistan. Iran thought they were close to an agreement on Sunday morning, he says.

The main sticking points were differences over Iran's nuclear program and whether Iran will agree not to enrich uranium at all and give up its existing stockpile. Iran wants to down-blend it in order to continue to use it in its civilian reactors.

The US proposed a 20-year moratorium on enrichment and Iran suggested a 'single digit' one instead.

The report says:

Pakistani, Egyptian and Turkish mediators are now trying to bridge the remaining gaps and reach a deal to end the war before the ceasefire ends on April 21.

The US official cited in the repot says there is…

The market is sensing a deal where Iran gives up nuclear and gets basically everything else it's asking for. The thinking is that Trump wants a way out and can't have the Strait closed for much longer.

The latest report is from the New York Post and said that Iranian officials are studying abandoning uranium enrichment for ending the war. Now that's a dubious source and unlikely to be from Iran but it has helped to boost sentiment.

US stocks nearly retraced to unchanged on the day.

In any case, surely Iran has 'studied' this as it's been a US demand for more than a decade.

This article was written by Adam Button at investinglive.com.

• Prior was 4.09m
• Sales vs prior
• Median price vs prior
• Inventory vs prior

The National Association of Realtors' existing home sales series measures the annualized transaction volume of previously owned single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops, based on closing data from multiple listing services. Because closings typically lag contract signings by 30 to 60 days, the data reflect buying decisions made one to two months earlier, making it a useful but somewhat lagging gauge of housing demand.

The U.S. resale market spent much of 2025 constrained by elevated mortgage rates and the persistent "lock-in effect," as homeowners with sub-4% pandemic-era mortgages remained reluctant to list. Conditions improved modestly in the second half,…

• The blockade will be enforced in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, east of the Strait of Hormuz
• It will apply to all vessel traffic regardless of flag
• However, it will not impede neutral transit through the Strait of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian destinations
• But neutral vessels may still be subject to the right of visit and search to determine cargo load
• Any vessel entering or departing the blockaded area without authorisation is subject to interception, diversion, and capture
• Humanitarian shipments including food, medical supplies, and other essential goods will be permitted but subject to inspection

As mentioned earlier in the day, it's a case now that the Strait of Hormuz will be contested as the US navy takes up presence. The headline…

• Prior was +4.8%

This article was written by Adam Button at investinglive.com.

Headlines:

• A softer risk mood to start the new week but the feeling is that it could've been worse
• US president Trump reaffirms blockade on Iranian ports starting from later today
• Iran: No security for Persian Gulf ports if own is threatened
• Oil prices surge after US-Iran talks collapse over the weekend
• Oil prices jump back above $100 after US-Iran negotiations breakdown, Trump's blockade
• Gold prices come under pressure after the first round of US-Iran talks fail. What's next?
• Rate hike bets increase after the failed US-Iran talks as energy prices remain elevated
• ECB's Vujcic: Energy prices still very close to baseline scenario
• BOJ governor Ueda: Underlying inflation gradually accelerating towards target
• China new bank loans slow further in the…

US-Iran talks collapsed over the weekend with there being no deal as both sides could not see eye to eye on a nuclear agreement. Iran is not letting up on their control over the Strait of Hormuz. And so the US is now stepping up the aggression by introducing their own blockade on Iranian ports starting later today.

With the US escalating military tensions in the region, it is hard to see both sides coming back for another round of negotiations. But if that won't happen, where do we really go from here?

It is either US president Trump is confident enough that they can blow Iran out of the water, quite literally, or someone has to back down and offer up a compromise of sorts. Otherwise, the existing status quo will have bigger consequences…

The optimism that briefly buoyed global markets last week has vanished as traders firm up rate hike bets for major central banks following the collapse of the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad this weekend. The breakdown of negotiations has reignited fears of a protracted conflict, ending the fragile hope that a resolution was within reach.

WTI crude oil surged back above $100 today and Trump's announcement of a naval blockade on Iranian shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could keep prices elevated for longer. This is keeping inflation worries at the forefront of traders' mind as a prolonged conflict and elevated energy prices could creep into broader consumer goods and services.

The major central banks are in a hard neutral stance at the…