Stock markets across Asia retreated: Japan's Nikkei down 0.1% to 64,921.1, TOPIX down 0.2%; South Korea's KOSPI fell 1.1% to 8,139.21; Hong Kong Hang Seng down nearly 2%; Shanghai Composite down 0.4%; CSI 300 down 1.1%; Singapore STI down 0.7%; Australia ASX 200 down 1.1%; broader indices (AXJO -1.21%, JP225 -0.45%, HK50 -1.98%, etc.) also slipped.
Oil prices rebounded >2% after fresh US strikes on Iran, with Brent near $97 per barrel and WTI above $90, reversing prior declines.
US President Donald Trump dismissed reports of an Iran‑Oman shipping arrangement, dampening peace‑deal hopes.
Investors await the US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index later Thursday, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge; concerns that sustained high energy prices could push the Fed toward an interest‑rate hike this year.
Wall Street closed at all‑time highs overnight, but US stock futures were little changed during Asian trading hours.
