Asian Stocks

Japan's Nikkei and South Korea's KOSPI remained on track for outsized quarterly gains as easing oil-price concerns improved the global growth outlook, while a stronger dollar pressured gold and yen

Investors weighed the impact of a pause in hostilities between the United States and Iran, while firm oil prices and expectations of higher interest rates kept the dollar near a one-year high

The Nasdaq swung lower overnight after Apple slid 6.1 per cent after announcing price hikes for iPads and MacBooks to counter surging memory and storage chip costs

The benchmark KOSPI was down 730.49 points, or 8.18 per cent, at 8,199.81, as of 0318 GMT

Investor concern that valuations for AI-related companies have become stretched following years of gains has weighed on markets in recent days, leading to volatile sessions

South Korean ​shares, which plunged 10% on Tuesday in their sharpest one-day drop since March, jumped 2.2%, ‌while Japan's Nikkei was swinging between gains and losses, last down 0.8%

MSCI's ​broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.5 per cent, while S&P 500 e-mini futures slipped 0.2 per cent. Brent ‌crude was up 0.2 per cent at $78.03 per barrel

Officials from Qatar and Pakistan also released ​a statement saying the first session of talks had concluded and progress was made on ​a roadmap to reach a final deal in 60 days

Shares retreated Friday in Asia, with markets in Greater China closed for holidays. US futures declined as optimism over the US-Iran deal to end their war was dimmed by the postponement of high-stakes talks on reopening negotiations over Iran's nuclear program and getting oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz. US markets will be closed Friday for Juneteenth. Investor sentiment has also been hit by expectations that central banks including the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates to try to curb inflation. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 wavered between gains and losses and was little changed at 71,082.81. The government reported that consumer prices excluding volatile fresh foods was unchanged, but analysts said it would likely pick up in coming months despite higher fuel costs. Higher inflation was a factor driving the Bank of Japan to raise its benchmark interest rate earlier this week to a three-decade high of 1% as it gradually adjusts its policies after years of near-zero or negativ

Both countries released the text of ​the agreement, which had already circulated widely before its contents were published

Early trading in the region followed a familiar pattern, with markets settling into a more measured tone ‌on Gulf developments as the initial excitement over the deal between US-Iran began to fade

Markets had already priced in a likely deal but the confirmation was enough to send Brent crude falling 4 per cent to $83.80 a barrel, well away from its May peak of $126.41

Asian shares climbed sharply on Friday, tracking big Wall Street gains, and oil prices slipped after US President Donald Trump claimed there was a breakthrough in talks to end the Iran war. US futures edged higher. South Korea's Kospi jumped 7.8 per cent to 8,370.82, narrowing losses from earlier this month from sell-offs of shares related to artificial intelligence. The Kospi has roughly doubled over the past six months, with a record closing high of 8.801.49 on June 2. Samsung Electronics, South Korea's most valuable company, advanced 11.2 per cent. Computer chipmaker SK Hynix rose 7.2 per cent. Tokyo's Nikkei's 225 gained 3.5 per cent to 66,442.95, also led by gains for technology stocks. SoftBank Group, a multinational investment holding company with a strong AI focus, was up 2 per cent. Chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron jumped 10.3 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.8 per cent to 24,689.32 and the Shanghai Composite index rose 1.6 per cent to 4,050.51. In Australia,

Investors across Asia are turning to space-related stocks, sector ETFs and Nasdaq 100 funds to gain indirect exposure to potential gains from the SpaceX IPO

Shares are mostly lower in Asia following another sell-off of artificial-intelligence stocks that dragged the US market sharply lower. US futures advanced and oil prices gained more than USD 1 a barrel. Tokyo's Nikkei lost 0.5 per cent to 63,878.60, while the Kospi in South Korea was also down 0.2 per cent, at 7,720.75. Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged 0.2 per cent higher, to 24,468.82, but the Shanghai Composite index fell 0.2 per cent to 3,983.80. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 likewise shed 0.2 per cent to 8,632.50. Taiwan's Taiex slipped 0.4 per cent. On Wednesday, Wall Street's former superstars continue to face heavy scrutiny. The S&P 500 dropped 1.6 per cent for its first back-to-back drop in three weeks. Closing at 7,266.99, it's back to where it was in early May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 953 points, or 1.9 per cent, to 49,918.78. The Nasdaq composite led the market lower with a 2 per cent slide, to 25,169.50. Wall Street has been shaky since last week, when

Oil prices climbed about 1 per cent in early trade, moving away from a seven-week low touched in the previous session in the wake of the fresh US attacks

Japan's Nikkei inched up 0.3 per cent, after losing 3.9 per cent the previous session, while MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.9 per cent

The Nasdaq had dropped 4.2 per cent on Friday after a hot jobs report ramped up expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate hikes

An AI-driven rally that boosted stocks earlier in the week fizzled out as chipmaker Broadcom reported underwhelming results

Asian shares retreated on Thursday following declines on Wall Street that snapped a nine-day winning streak for the S&P 500. Oil prices fell back after surging Wednesday as renewed fighting threatened the US-Iran ceasefire. Early Thursday in Asia, Brent crude was USD 1.17 lower at USD 96.64 per barrel, while benchmark US crude oil shed USD 1.08 to USD 94.94 per barrel. Oil prices had climbed a day earlier after both the United States and Iran said they launched retaliations for earlier attacks or attempted ones. In share trading, Japan's Nikkei 225 shed 1.9% to 67,101.83 as traders sold technology stocks to lock in gains. Energy and technology giant SoftBank Group slumped 10.4%, while Shin-Etsu Chemical dropped 3.8%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.3% to 25,299.29, and the Shanghai Composite index fell 0.4% to 4,067.46. In South Korea, the Kospi sank 1.7% to 8,651.87, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined 1.5% to 8,657.40. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 fell 0.7% from its ...