--- title: "Buckling global bonds in focus; Samsung shares jump - what’s moving markets" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/286737986.md" description: "U.S. stock futures are down due to rising government bond yields and oil prices above $100, raising inflation concerns. Samsung shares rose after government intervention to prevent a strike at its memory chip operations. Analysts highlight a significant sell-off in global bond markets, with the U.S. 10-year note yield reaching a 15-month high. Oil prices continue to climb amid ongoing tensions in Iran, impacting inflation and economic stability ahead of mid-term elections." datetime: "2026-05-18T08:21:04.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/286737986.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286737986.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/286737986.md) --- # Buckling global bonds in focus; Samsung shares jump - what’s moving markets Investing.com - U.S. stock futures edge lower, weighed down by elevated government bond yields amid few signs of that a resolution to the Iran may be coming soon. Oil prices continue to float above $100 a barrel, keeping inflation concerns in play. Samsung Electronics shares gain after the South Korean government intervenes to attempt to avoid a possible strike at the company’s memory chip operations. 1\. Futures fell U.S. stock futures pointed lower on Monday, with a climb in government bond yields around the world and rising oil prices clouding sentiment. By 03:28 ET (07:28 GMT), the Dow futures contract had shed 321 points, or 0.7%, S&P 500 futures had slipped by 32 points, or 0.4%, and Nasdaq 100 futures had declined by 96 points, or 0.3%. All three of the major indices on Wall Street ended down by more than 1% on Friday, dented by mounting worries that an energy shock sparked by the Iran war will lead to a wave of inflationary pressure. Still, longstanding optimism around massive spending on artificial intelligence has helped to mitigate losses in markets. The benchmark S&P 500 is now trading well above levels prior to the start of the joint U.S. and Israeli assault on Iran in late February. The longevity of the AI boom will receive a stern test later this week, when results are due out from Nvidia, the semiconductor giant whose importance to the AI industry has supercharged a meteoric rise in the business into one of the world's most valuable companies. 2\. Bond market in focus But the "dominant story" in global financial markets at the moment revolves around a sell-off in bond markets, analysts at ING said in a note. Along with exerting pressure on households and governments through higher borrowing costs, elevated bond yields can also raise the discount for future company earnings, possibly denting stock valuations. The yield on the U.S. 10-year note has touched a 15-month high, while the longer-dated 30-year yield has also edged up. Yields on government debt in Europe and Asia have increased as well. Driving the uptick has been a multi-week spike in oil prices due largely to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway off Iran's southern coast through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil traverses. Fears have swirled around whether surging oil costs will, in turn, push inflation higher and lead central banks to lift interest rates. Indeed, a hike in borrowing costs by the Federal Reserve this year is now viewed as a roughly 50-50 possibility. "High oil prices and higher bond yields are a big headwind to risk assets and stand to keep the dollar supported in the near term," the ING analysts said. 3\. Oil climbs amid shaky ceasefire Oil prices continued to climb, as the Iran war entered its 80th day showing little if any sign of approaching an imminent conclusion. At 03:59 ET, the Brent crude futures contract, the global oil benchmark, had risen by 1.0% to $110.32 a barrel. Over the weekend, a drone attack sparked a fire at a nuclear facility in the United Arab Emirates, while Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted three drones. The developments cast fresh doubt around a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, with President Donald Trump writing on social media that "the clock is ticking" for Iran to reach a peace agreement. Trump later said: "I can tell you one thing - they're dying to sing \[a deal\]." However, as analysts at Deutsche Bank pointed out in a note, the ceasefire has now lasted longer than the initial phase of fighting, which they said may indicate that "the U.S. would prefer to avoid" carrying out renewed bombardments given the "political and economic consequences." Surging oil prices have made gasoline-pump costs in the U.S. particularly more expensive, fueling inflation just before crucial mid-term elections in November. Observers have argued that restarting a military campaign in Iran could further exacerbate the jump in gasoline costs and consumer expenses in general. "As a result, the tense stalemate continues," the Deutsche Bank analysts wrote. 4\. Samsung Electronics shares rise after Seoul intervenes in union strike talks Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (KS:005930) shares gained after South Korea’s government stepped in to help avert a looming strike at the company’s memory chip operations. Samsung and its South Korean labor union kicked off a new round of talks on Monday, with the government mediating the discussions. This came after South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung said in a social media post that management rights should be respected as much as labor rights. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said over the weekend that a work stoppage at Samsung’s chipmaking operations would cause unprecedented economic damage and needed to be averted. A South Korean court also threatened to fine Samsung’s South Korea union about 100 million won ($66,500) per day if it fails to comply with orders to not strike. Workers at Samsung’s chipmaking unit were set to strike from May 21 after talks over increased compensation - especially in the wake of Samsung’s AI windfall - largely fell through. Samsung is South Korea’s largest employer, and also the country’s biggest company. 5\. China's economy shows unexpected softness China’s factory output growth slowed sharply in April while retail sales barely rose, highlighting fragile domestic demand and a prolonged property downturn, official data showed on Monday. Industrial production rose 4.1% in April from a year earlier, missing analysts’ expectations for 6.0% growth and slowing from March’s 5.7% pace. "Industrial activity has been supported by strong external demand, but the rest of China’s domestic demand indicators have been quite lacklustre," ING analysts said in a recent note. Retail sales increased just 0.2% year-on-year, sharply below forecasts for a 2.0% rise and down from 1.7% growth in March, pointing to continued caution among consumers. ### Related Stocks - [SMSN.UK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SMSN.UK.md) - [SMH.UK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SMH.UK.md) - [SSNGY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SSNGY.US.md) - [.DJI.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.DJI.US.md) - [.SPX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.SPX.US.md) - [.NDX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.NDX.US.md) - [NVDA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDA.US.md) - [ING.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ING.US.md) - [DBK.DE](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/DBK.DE.md) - [DB.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/DB.US.md) - [NVD.DE](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVD.DE.md) - [03KB.DE](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/03KB.DE.md) - [DPB.DE](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/DPB.DE.md) ## Related News & Research - [Samsung halts chip inputs as strike talks near deadline](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286682398.md) - [Samsung, labour union meet again as Seoul threatens to intervene to block strike](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286837316.md) - [The Bond Market Just Flashed A Major Warning](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286549826.md) - [Germany’s debt trajectory points to higher bond yields](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286859839.md) - [Japan's 10-year bond yield hits 1996 high as fresh debt plans emerge. 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