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
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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
Sensex Today | Stock Market Highlights, Friday: Reliance Industries share price settled 1.2 per cent lower at ₹1,312 after Chairman Mukesh Ambani announced Jio Platforms' IPO papers were being filed
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
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Both countries released the text of the agreement, which had already circulated widely before its contents were published
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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
The Kospi has become the world's best-performing major equity benchmark this year, surging more than 90% as investors piled into artificial-intelligence winners
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