Asian Shares

West Asia crisis complicates rate outlook for Asian central banks

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

Iran will not bow to pressure from US and Israel, says President Pezeshkian

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

Asian shares surge, led by KOSPI; treasuries fall as war concerns ease

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

Panic sweeps Korean stocks in biggest one-day crash on record amid Iran war

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

Asian stocks slump as markets brace for energy shock amid West Asia crisis

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 fall, oil jumps as Iran war stokes energy supply fears

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

Asian shares slips, yen and US treasuries rise as AI, Iran concerns weigh

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

Asian shares climb on Nvidia boost; oil steady amid US-Iran tensions

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

Asian shares rise; Japan benchmark hits record on optimism about AI

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 ...

Asian markets wobble as Wall Street selloff rattles investor confidence

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

Asian shares hesitant, dollar slips amid ongoing tariff confusion

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

Asian shares are mixed, US futures up as AI fears drag Wall Street lower

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

Asian shares get tech lift as Iran, rate uncertainty loom over markets

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

Asian stocks rise despite AI worries, oil down after US-Iran talks

Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korean were among markets closed for Lunar New Year holidays

Asian markets make cautious start, oil rises ahead of US-Iran talks

Mainland Chinese, Hong Kong, ​Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea markets were closed on Tuesday for Lunar New Year ​holidays. US markets were shut on Monday for Presidents' Day

Asian shares steady in holiday-thinned trade; weak Japan GDP cools rally

Japan on Monday reported its economy grew a miserly 0.1 per cent annualised in the December quarter, far below the 1.6 per cent gain forecast as government spending dragged on activity

Asian shares trading low after Wall Street losses on AI-related worries

Asia shares were trading mostly lower Friday, tracking sharp Wall Street losses on a sell-off of technology-related stocks that investors fear could lose out from artificial intelligence disruptions. U.S. futures were mostly unchanged. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 fell 0.8 per cent to 57,165.13 on Friday, after it passed the 58,000 mark for the first time early Thursday. SoftBank Group, which has a focus on AI, fell 6.8 per cent even as the company reported a quarterly profit Thursday building on its investments in OpenAI, among other gains. South Korea's Kospi rose 0.4 per cent to 5,545.49, after crossing 5,500 on Thursday, driven by gains in technology-related stocks. Samsung Electronics, the Kospi's largest listed company, was up 1.2 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.8 per cent to 26,547.97. The Shanghai Composite index was down 0.7 per cent to 4,105.04. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 traded 1.4 per cent lower at 8,919.30. On Thursday, Wall Street saw sharp losses as AI worries ...

Asia shares rise after US jobs data; Japan, South Korea indices hit record

Asia shares were mostly higher Thursday and benchmarks in Japan and South Korea reached new records after Wall Street wobbled following a better-than-expected US job report. US futures edged higher. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 surpassed the 58,000 mark early in the session as trading resumed after a holiday. However, it gave up those gains, edging just 10 points lower to 57,639.84. Japanese shares have rallied following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's landslide victory in a parliamentary election on Sunday, as investors expect more policies to help spur economic growth. South Korea's Kospi breached the 5,500 mark for the first time, driven by gains for technology-related stocks. It was up 3.1 per cent at 5,522.27. Samsung Electronics, South Korea's biggest listed company, rose 6.4 per cent. Chipmaker SK Hynix added 3.3 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.9 per cent to 27,028.67. The Shanghai Composite index edged 0.1 per cent higher, to 4,140.59. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 picked u

Asian markets edge higher after weak US retail data weigh on Wall Street

Shares were moderately higher in Asia on Wednesday after US stocks drifted to a mixed finish following a discouraging report on how much money US retailers made during the holidays. US futures edged higher and prices of gold, silver and oil also advanced. Markets were closed in Japan for a holiday. Chinese markets crept higher, with the Hang Seng in Hong Kong up 0.3% at 27,265.52. The Shanghai Composite index added 0.3% to 4,139.56. In South Korea, the Kospi extended its gains, risig to 5,346.34. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 climbed 1.5% to 8,999.20, while Taiwan's Taiex jumped 1.7%. On Tuesday, stocks drifted on Wall Street following a mixed set of profit reports from big US companies. Hopes rose that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates later this year to boost the economy following a discouraging report on US shoppers' appetite for spending. "Fresh data points to softening US consumer momentum since last December as wage growth cools and household credit stress builds," ...

Asian stocks rise for second day as Nikkei sets fresh record, dollar drops

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that senior ‌US Treasury staff visited China last week "to strengthen channels of ​communication" between Washington and Beijing