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Asian Shares
Stocks mostly advanced in Asia on Wednesday despite losses on Wall Street, while oil prices fell after the United Arab Emirates said it would leave OPEC in a blow to the powerful oil cartel. US futures edged higher. Markets in Japan were closed for a holiday. Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea's Kospi rose 0.3 per cent to 6,657.40 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 1.4 per cent to 26,029.02. The Shanghai Composite index traded 0.3 per cent higher at 4,091.01. Australia's S and P/ASX 200 slipped 0.3 per cent, to 8,689.50. Taiwan's Taiex lost 0.6 per cent, and India's Sensex gained 0.4 per cent. The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil to be delivered in June fell 0.5 per cent to USD 110.71 early Wednesday. Brent to be delivered in July dropped 0.6 per cent to USD 103.74. Brent oil was around USD 70 per barrel before the war began in late February. Benchmark US crude fell 0.6 per cent to USD 99.32 a barrel. The UAE's departure from OPEC, due to happen on Friday, has been closely w
Shares were mixed in Asia, and Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index hit a fresh record Monday after US stocks ended last week with new highs. The price of oil gained more than USD 1 as talks on ending the war with Iran hit more snags. The White House cancelled plans to send envoys to Pakistan for more negotiations, and US President Donald Trump cited a lack of progress. "If they want, we can talk, but we're not sending people," Trump told Fox News on Sunday. He said earlier on social media: "All they have to do is call!!!" This week will bring decisions on interest rates by top central banks, including the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan and the Bank of England. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 surged 1.4 per cent to 60,564.18, touching new intraday highs. The Kospi in South Korea jumped 2.1 per cent to 6,617.94. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index edged 0.1 per cent lower to 25,951.86, and the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.2 per cent at 4,089.04. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 ..
Shares were mixed in Asia on Wednesday, echoing a rally on Wall Street as oil prices eased on hopes the United States and Iran may resume talks to end their war. The price of Brent crude edged 0.2% lower but was still above $98 a barrel. US benchmark crude fell 0.4% to $89.29 a barrel. Lower oil prices help bring down costs for all kinds of businesses. President Donald Trump said he was extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan's request while awaiting a "unified proposal" from Tehran. The US military was keeping its blockade of Iranian ports Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.5% to 59,653.56 and the Kospi in South Korea edged 0.2% lower to 6,374.46. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.9% to 8,866.20. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 1.3% to 26,137.59, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.1% to 4,090.24. In Taiwan, the Taiex was up 1.1%. On Tuesday, US shares were lifted by signs that diplomats were working through back channels to arrange a new round of talks between the United States and .
Shares were mixed Tuesday in Asia and oil prices slipped following the latest rise of US-Iran tensions. The lackluster start to trading Tuesday followed a modest retreat on Wall Street. But US futures edged higher. With the fate of talks between Iran and the US on ending the war unclear, the price for a barrel of Brent crude oil remained above USD95, slipping just 0.4% to USD95.10 per barrel. US benchmark crude oil lost 0.9% to USD86.66 per barrel. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 climbed 1.1% to 59,485.54 on strong gains for tech-related companies like Tokyo Electron, which rose 4.4%. Tech and energy giant SoftBank Group Corp. gained 5.5%. South Korea's Kospi jumped 1.8% to 6,327.73 and Taiwan's Taiex advanced 1.7%. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong edged 0.1% lower, to 26,382.30 and the Shanghai Composite index lost 0.3% to 4,068.28. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.1% to 8,942.80. US President Donald Trump attacked critics after a second round of talks with Iran was thrown into doubt by
Asian stocks were trading higher tracking Wall Street gains and oil fell on Tuesday as expectations rose over a possible second round of talks between the US and Iran to end West Asia conflict. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 was up 2.4 per cent to 57,842.72. South Korea's Kospi jumped 3.4 per cent to 6,004.30. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.4 per cent to 25,759.75, while the Shanghai Composite index climbed 0.6 per cent to 4,010.45. China on Tuesday reported worse-than-expected export growth of 2.5 per cent in March for the first month since the Iran war began. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.3 per cent, and Taiwan's Taiex rose 2.2 per cent. Investors are still hopeful for a lasting de-escalation of the Iran war, which is in its seventh week, as the US and Iran are said to be weighing a second round of talks before a temporary ceasefire agreement expires next week. The US military on Monday began a blockade of Iranian ports as Washington steps up its pressure on Tehran, following ceasefire ...
Asian shares surged in Wednesday morning trading, as oil prices plunged after the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 5.0% to 56,106.18 in early trading. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 jumped 2.6% to 8,952.30. South Korea's Kospi soared 5.9% to 5,819.97. Hong Kong's Hang Seng surged 2.6% to 25,767.42, while the Shanghai Composite added 1.7% to 3,957.55. Benchmark US crude sank USD16.84 to USD96.11 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard dropped USD14.51 to USD94.76 a barrel. That came as a reaction to the ceasefire as the recent spike in their prices was directly in response to the war, which had effectively blocked passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Much of the world's oil supply is transported through the strait, including oil headed to resource-poor Japan. "Yet the mood remains one of cautious optimism rather than outright celebration. The ceasefire is only two weeks long, and .
Asian shares were mixed in cautious trading on Tuesday, as oil prices continued to surge ahead of a deadline that US President Donald Trump set for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping traffic or risk its power plants and bridges being bombed. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 erased earlier gains to decline 0.2 per cent in morning trading to 53,310.30. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 1.5 per cent to 8,706.90. South Korea's Kospi was little changed, inching down less than 0.1 per cent to 5,445.80. The Shanghai Composite edged up 0.4 per cent to 3,896.98. Trading was closed in Hong Kong for a holiday. On Wall Street, stock prices drifted higher, with the S&P 500 rising 0.4 per cent, coming off its first winning week in the last six. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 165 points, or 0.4 per cent, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.5 per cent. In energy trading, benchmark US crude jumped USD 2.37 to USD 114.78 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added .
Asian markets that were open for trading mostly rose Monday, as investors continued to closely watch the war in Iran, soaring oil prices and what President Donald Trump might say next. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose nearly 1.1 per cent to 53,692.42 in morning trading. South Korea's Kospi gained 1.5 per cent to 5,460.24. Trading was closed in Australia for Easter, and in Hong Kong and Shanghai for a traditional Chinese holiday. The Tuesday deadline Trump has given for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz is looming. Some analyst fear the war may escalate after that. Over the weekend Trump made more threats against Iran, even as the bombing continued in the region. The United States rescued two aviators whose fighter jet was shot down by Iran. The key market focus continues to be on oil prices. Benchmark US crude gained 38 cents to USD 111.92 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added USD 1.71 to USD 110.74 a barrel. Energy markets were closed Friday, but the prices ha
Oil prices continued to surge on worries of a prolonged Iran war, but the Asian markets that were open Friday rose moderately in cautious trading, while others were closed for the Good Friday holidays. Benchmark US crude rose 11.4 per cent to USD 111.54 a barrel. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 7.8 per cent to USD 109.03 per barrel. "A more extended conflict raises the threat to physical infrastructure, extends disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz, and will entail a longer post-war recovery period, with price impacts spilling over later into the year," according to a report from BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions. The US only relies on the Persian Gulf for a fraction of the oil it imports, but oil is a commodity and prices are set in a global market. The situation is very different in Asia. Japan, for example, relies on access to the Strait of Hormuz for much of the nation's oil import needs and would need to rely on alternative routes. But some analyst
Asian shares were sharply higher Wednesday after US stocks soared to their best day since last spring on renewed hopes that the Iran war could soon end. South Korea's Kospi surged 5.2 per cent to 5,312.45 in early trading, while Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 3.5 per cent to 52,840.67. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was up 1.9 per cent to 8,641.30. The renewed optimism came after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States will be done attacking Iran probably in two to three weeks, and that the US "will not have anything to do with" what happens next in the Strait of Hormuz. The White House said Trump will deliver a public address Wednesday evening on the Iran war. Trump's remarks came after he told US allies to "go get your own oil" and blamed them for refusing to be more involved in its war effort. Significant maritime traffic disruption at the Strait of Hormuz, where roughly a fifth of the world's oil typically passes through, has sent energy prices surging and is fueling ...