28 Days of War: How Iran-Israel Hit Global Markets

28 Days of Global Market Chaos: The Full Report on the Iran-Israel Conflict

​Honestly, looking back at the last 28 days feels like we’ve lived through a whole year of financial history. When the news first broke about the US and Israel launching strikes on Iran, the world didn't just stop to watch the news—it started moving its money. Fast.

​If you’ve been checking your portfolio, you know it’s been a proper mess. But to understand why your screen is covered in red, we need to look at the day-by-day breakdown. From Google’s advertising fears to Nvidia’s chip supply panic, here is the full, unfiltered story of how 28 days of war changed the world’s wealth.

​The First Week: The "Panic" Phase (Days 1–7)

​The madness started on Day 1 (late February/early March 2026). The moment the strikes were confirmed, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq didn't just dip—they fell off a cliff.

​Look, the first thing people do in a war is sell "Risk." And nothing is seen as more "risky" than tech companies that rely on global trade.

• ​Google (Alphabet Inc.): Straight up, Google took a hit of about 4.2% in the first three days. Why? Because when there is a war, companies stop spending money on ads. Google's bread and butter is advertising. If Ford or Coca-Cola were worried about global supply chains, they would stop running expensive YouTube and Search ads.

• ​Apple: On Day 3, Apple’s stock dropped by 3.8%. Investors were terrified that a wider war would mess up the shipping lanes in the Middle East, making it impossible to get parts for the next iPhone.

• ​Europe's Pain: In London, the FTSE 100 had its biggest one-day fall since the "Tariff Shock" of 2025, dropping 2.75% in a single afternoon.

The Second Week: The Energy Crisis (Days 8–14)

​By Day 10, the war wasn't just about missiles; it was about oil. Iran raised the possibility of shutting the Strait of Hormuz—basically the world’s petrol pipeline.

​This is where the "Winners" and "Losers" started to separate properly.

​The Winners: Big Oil and Defence

​To be fair, if you owned oil stocks, you were actually having a good time.

• ​ExxonMobil and Chevron saw their stocks surge by about 6% to 8%.

• ​Shell (UK): Shell’s stock was one of the few green spots in Europe, rising 5% as Brent Crude oil crossed $100 a barrel.

• ​Lockheed Martin: The makers of the fighter jets used in the strikes saw their stock climb 9% in two weeks.

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The Losers: Airlines and Travel

​While oil companies were making bank, airlines were bleeding out.

• ​Lufthansa (Germany): Their stock crashed by 15% because fuel became too expensive and people were too scared to fly near the conflict zone.

• ​Booking.com and Airbnb saw a 10% slide in their stock prices over a week as travel demand weakened.

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The Third Week: The Nvidia Rollercoaster (Days 15–21)

​Now, let’s talk about Nvidia. Honestly, this was the most mental part of the month.

​At first, Nvidia stayed strong because everyone loves AI. But by Day 16, reality set in. NVIDIA doesn't just make chips; it needs a stable world to sell them. When the US government started talking about shifting resources to the military, investors got scared that the AI boom might slow down.

​NVIDIA’s stock, which was near record highs, tumbled by 9.5% in a single week. It was a proper "Correction." Even though Nvidia later announced a $1 Trillion revenue forecast, the war clouds were just too thick for people to stay invested.

​The Fourth Week: The "New Normal" (Days 22–28)

​That brings us to right now. Day 28. The initial "shock" has gone, but the damage is done.

​Today, the Nasdaq is officially in "Correction Territory,—which is a fancy way of saying it has fallen 10% from its recent peak.

​What happened to Google and Microsoft?

• ​Google (Alphabet): As of Day 28, Google is down roughly 8% from where it started. The fear is that a long war will cause a global recession, and in a recession, nobody clicks on ads.

• ​Microsoft: Microsoft has held up slightly better, only down 6%, because businesses still need their software (Office 365/Azure) even during a war. But their plans to build massive AI data centres in the Middle East have been put on ice, which has killed their momentum.

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Europe vs. America: Who got hit harder?

​To be fair, Europe has had a much worse time than America.

Straight up, the reason Europe is struggling is that it doesn't have its own oil. When prices go up, German factories have to pay more, and their profits disappear. America, on the other hand, is the world's biggest oil producer, so they have a "buffer."

We always talk about Tech, but look at LVMH (Louis Vuitton) and Hermes in France. These are the crown jewels of European stocks. Over these 28 days, they’ve dropped by over 11%.

Why? Because a lot of their customers are in the Middle East and Asia. When there is a war, the "Vibe" for luxury disappears. Nobody wants to buy a $10,000 bag when they are worried about missiles.

And the Banks? They are caught in the middle. Banks like JP Morgan (US) and Barclays (UK) are worried that if the war goes on, people won't be able to pay back their loans. Their stocks are down 5-8%.

Day 1-2: The "Black Opening." Massive sell-off across all sectors.

Day 5: Gold hits an all-time high of $5,300/oz. People are hiding their cash in "bricks of yellow."

Day 12: Oil hits $107 a barrel. The panic is at its peak.

Day 18: The "False Hope." Rumours of a ceasefire cause a 2% jump in Google and Apple, but it lasts only 24 hours.

Day 25: Donald Trump makes a speech saying the war’s impact is "not as bad as expected," but the market doesn't believe him. The Dow fell 450 points in one day.

Day 28 (Today): We are in a stalemate. The markets are flat, waiting for the next big move.

Honestly, the last 28 days have taught us a hard lesson: The world is connected. You might think Google is just a search engine, but it’s actually a global barometer for peace. When the world is at war, Google bleeds. When the world is at peace, Google grows.

If you’re an investor, the best thing to do is stay calm. Look, markets have survived the Cold War, the Gulf War, and everything in between. They will survive this, too. But for now, the "Easy Money" era is over. We are in a period of "War Inflation," and it’s going to take more than a few weeks to fix this.

Stay safe, keep your eye on the charts, and maybe don't check your portfolio every five minutes—it’s not good for your heart!

Honestly, it depends on how long you can wait. Right now, big tech stocks are trading at a discount because of the war panic. If you are looking at the next five to ten years, this could be a great entry point. But look, don't put all your money in at once—the next 28 days could still be a bit of a rocky ride.

Straight up, it’s all about advertising. Google makes most of its money when companies pay to show ads on Search and YouTube. During a war, big brands like Ford or Coca-Cola often pause their ads to save money or because the "mood" isn't right for selling cars. Less ad money means less profit for Google, which scares investors.

To be fair, probably not. NVIDIA forms the foundation of the AI world. While the stock dropped about 9% this month, it’s mostly because people are moving their cash into "safe" things like Gold. The demand for AI chips is still massive, so this is likely just a temporary breather rather than a total crash.

It’s a classic case of supply and demand. Close to 20% of the world’s oil supply travels through the Middle East. If the fighting gets worse, the taps might get turned off. This fear makes oil prices go up, and when oil is expensive, companies like ExxonMobil and Shell make billions in extra profit.

The main reason is energy. America produces a lot of its own oil and gas, so they have a "buffer." Europe, however, has to import most of its energy. When the Middle East is in trouble, gas prices in Germany and the UK skyrocket, which hurts their factories and banks much harder than it hurts the US.

Look, Gold is the "Ultimate Insurance Policy." Over these 28 days, it has been the best-performing asset because people trust it when things go south. Unless the war ends tomorrow, Gold will likely stay high. It’s usually better to keep a little bit of Gold in your pocket just in case things get even crazier.