With many centers closed for the extended holiday, the calm in the global capital markets has been punctuated by reports that the US is considering ending its exemption for eight countries to have bought Iranian oil over the past six months. The waivers were to end on May 2, but previously it was thought that a couple of waivers, like for China and India, would be extended. Oil prices have surged to new six-month highs. Asian equities were mixed, with losses in China, India, and Indonesia and gains in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Most European centers are closed. The S&P 500 is trading 0.3% lower after alternating last ... (full story)