Oil Prices Plummet as Trade Hopes Soar
Global stock markets rallied on Monday as oil prices dropped further and hopes for trade talks between China and the US rose.
The decline in oil prices, down over three percent to $100.64 per barrel for Brent North Sea Crude, has eased concerns about inflation pressures that had weighed on stocks last week.
US President Donald Trump's willingness to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the UN General Assembly this week also boosted hopes for a breakthrough in the Iran conflict and a possible extension of the trade truce between China and the US.
Investors brushed off fresh political difficulties for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose centre-right CDU party suffered two regional election defeats.