Asian Shares

Shares retreated Thursday in Asia after stocks on Wall Street slumped as oil prices spiked at more than USD 110 a barrel. US stocks also sagged due to a report that said inflation was primed to worsen even before the war with Iran sent oil and gas prices spiking. That, and comments from the head of the Federal Reserve, led investors to expect there's less chance of getting the lower interest rates that they love. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 fell 2.5 per cent to 53,875.94 and the Kospi in South Korea lost 1.3 per cent to 5,845.62. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng slipped 0.2 per cent to 25,725.77, while the Shanghai Composite index shed 0.9 per to 4,027.73. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 8,504.20 and Taiwan's Taiex fell 1.2 per cent. Brent crude, the international standard, was trading at USD 111.24 a barrel, up 3.6 per cent from a day earlier. US benchmark crude oil gained 0.8 per cent to USD 96.80 a barrel. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 fell 1.4 per cent and flipped to a loss for the week so ...

Oil prices took a breather on Wednesday from recent gains though the Strait of Hormuz remained largely shut

Markets are on edge, trying ​to price in the economic damage from US President Donald Trump's war with Iran and ​the policy reaction it could trigger

The WSJ reported the Trump administration plans to announce as early as this week that multiple ​countries have agreed to form a coalition to escort ships through Hormuz

Brent futures were last at $99.85 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crude was at $95.05 a barrel

Iran had earlier stepped up attacks on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz, telling the world to get ready for oil at $200 a barrel

Asian shares advanced Tuesday as US stocks held steady while investors awaited signals on when the war with Iran may end. US futures and oil prices edged higher. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 2.1% to 55,387.75 and South Korea's Kospi surged 3.5% to 5,724.30. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng gained 0.3% to 26,039.23, while the Shanghai Composite index inched up 0.1% to 4,127.34. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.5% to $8,738.50. Taiwan's benchmark climbed 3.9%. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 dipped 0.2% to 6,781.48, a day after its latest wild swings caused by extreme moves in the oil market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 34 points, or 0.1% to 47,706.51 and the Nasdaq composite edged higher by less than 0.1% to 22,697.10. Oil prices have remained sharply below their peaks hit on Monday. Such spikes have been rocking financial markets worldwide because of worries that the war could block the global flow of oil and natural gas for a long time. Early Wednesday, the price for a barrel of ...

Share markets plunged and the safe-haven US dollar rose in Asia on Monday as oil surged past $110 a barrel, stoking fears of a protracted West Asia war on global energy supplies

With no sign of an end to hostilities in West Asia and tankers still not daring to cross the Strait of Hormuz, investors were bracing for a long stretch of higher energy costs

South Korea's ​KOSPI gauge recovered its steep losses in the prior session following a rally ​on Wall Street on hopes the United States and Iran will seek an off-ramp from hostilities

The Kospi Index plunged another 12% following a 7.2% drop in the previous session, as heavyweights Samsung Electronics Co., SK Hynix Inc. and Hyundai Motor Co. tumbled

Shares in Seoul dived 4 per cent ​to take two-day losses beyond 11 per cent as fast-money and foreigners bailed out of a ‌market that had soared on memory chipmakers' vast AI-driven profits

Asian shares mostly declined and oil prices surged higher Tuesday as investors eyed risks to the region's energy supply because of the Iran war. Shares in South Korea sank 4.8% as markets reopened after a holiday on Monday, to 5,946.06. Benchmark US crude rose 77 cents to $72.00 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added $1.10 to $78.84 a barrel. They jumped Monday then fell back although still at higher levels than before due to worries that the war could clog the global flow of crude. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 sank 2.1% to 56,853.48. Like other resource-poor countries in the region, Japan could be especially hit by the lack of access to the Strait of Hormuz since much of its oil and natural gas is shipped through there. However, analysts say Japan has a sizable stockpile lasting more than 200 days and so the threat is not immediate. Japanese energy stocks plunged, with Eneos Corp. down nearly 6% and Idemitsu Kosan down nearly 4%. Defense-related issues, which ha

Japanese shares followed Wall Street lower after what appeared ​to be glowing results from AI sector bellwether Nvidia failed to impress investors

Nvidia on Wednesday forecast first-quarter revenue above market estimates, ‌betting on Big Tech's unabated spending on its AI processors

Asian shares mostly rose in Wednesday morning trading, with Japan's benchmark hitting a record high, as investors were cheered by an overnight Wall Street rally that seemed to reflect optimism about the artificial-intelligence boom. Japan's benchmark surged 1.3% to 58,081.62. That came despite China's move the previous day to restrict exports to 40 Japanese companies and organisations it says are contributing to Japan's "remilitarisation". The reaction was varied with the prices of some listed companies rising, like Subaru Corp and Mitsubishi Materials Corp, while others slipped, including Eneos Corp and Sumitomo Heavy Industries. Analysts said the declining yen worked to boost export shares, such as Honda Motor Co and Panasonic Corp. The US dollar slipped to 155.78 Japanese yen from 155.83 yen. The dollar traded close to 160 yen levels several months ago. The euro cost $1.1784, up from $1.1779. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 jumped 1.1% to 9,122.50. South Korea's Kospi surged 1.7% to ...

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 0.8 per cent and China's CSI 300 gained 1.3 per cent as markets there played catch-up after a holiday

Oil prices eased ahead of another round of talks between the United States and Iran ​due in Geneva on Thursday, with the risk of US military strikes lingering if a deal is not done

Shares were mixed Friday in Asia as worries over risks linked to massive investments in artificial intelligence and a potential US-Iran conflict weighed on major benchmarks. US futures edged higher, while oil prices resumed their ascent. Crude prices have been climbing as both the United States and Iran signal they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran's nuclear programme fizzle out. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 fell 1.2 per cent to 56,797.22 as shares in major banks and other financial institutions skidded on worries over the potential impact of weakening private credit companies that have lent to companies exposed to the risk that AI will steal away their businesses. That includes market heavyweights like Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, which has a partnership with Blue Owl Capital, one such private-credit company. MUFJ's shares dropped 2.6 per cent in Tokyo after Blue Owl lost 5.9 per cent on Thursday. Toyota Motor Corp. fell 3.9 per cent and Sony was down 3.3 per cent. In Hong Kong, t

Trading was ​thinned in Asia with markets in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan closed for the Lunar New Year holiday, but MSCI's broadest ‌index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.5 per cent