On Monday, April 6, 2026, a television station broadcast a press conference by US President Donald Trump on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, USA.
Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Hello, my name is Leonie Kidd and I’m from London. Welcome to another edition of CNBC’s Daily Open.
I’m back from Easter break, and although a lot has happened, very little has changed.
It remains to be seen whether the new deadline and another ultimatum to Iran from the White House will move the needle on negotiations. Amid the uncertainty, market participants appear to be taking a wait-and-see approach.
Artemis II was a great distraction and set a new record for being the furthest human astronaut from Earth. It is sure to provide an interesting perspective not only on life on Earth, but also on this conflict in the broader scheme of things.
What you need to know today
“We could take over the entire country overnight, and that night could be tomorrow (Tuesday) night,” US President Donald Trump said at a press conference on Monday, strengthening his rhetoric against Iran.
President Trump has threatened to attack Iran’s energy and transportation infrastructure after a new deadline of 8pm ET on Tuesday if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
Meanwhile, the United States has accepted Iran’s latest ceasefire offer, but President Trump said it was “not good enough.” Still, he also struck a more measured tone in some of his comments on Monday, telling reporters that the Iranian government was acting as an “active and willing participant” in the negotiations.
In response to these trends, crude oil prices rose further. Shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is gradually resuming, with eight tankers sailing on Monday, up from an average of less than two daily sailings in March, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. But this is only a fraction of pre-war levels, with an average of 20 million barrels of oil and products passing through the Strait per day in 2025.
In stock markets, Asia-Pacific markets were volatile on Tuesday with volatile trading, with major indexes turning lower in morning trading, while futures suggested mixed conditions in Europe and a negative open in the US.
Beyond geopolitics, SpaceX has reportedly outlined details for its long-awaited IPO. Elon Musk’s group will begin its roadshow in June, with the majority of the shares expected to be held by retail investors, according to Reuters.
And beyond the atmosphere, Artemis II astronauts on Monday set a record as the furthest humans from Earth during a lunar flight, promising spectacular views of the far side never seen before. The crew surpassed the distance record of 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) set by Apollo 13 in April 1970.
— Leonie Kidd
And finally…
A quirky Wall Street research firm announced it has sent analysts to the Strait of Hormuz. Here’s what they learned
As global oil traders parse satellite images and official statements for clues about the fate of the Strait of Hormuz, one research firm appears to have taken a different approach, sending analysts directly to the conflict zone.
Citorini Research, which issued a market-shaking bearish note on artificial intelligence earlier this year, said it had sent an analyst to Oman’s Musandam peninsula, who traveled by boat to observe shipping activity firsthand amid rising tensions between Iran and the United States. What analysts say they have discovered calls into question the dominant view that dominates global markets that a vital oil artery is effectively shut down.
— Yun Lee
