Asian Currencies Stay Muted as Dollar Holds Firm Amid Iran Uncertainty 
Gold is meant to be a ‘safe haven’ in uncertain times. Why is it crashing amid a war? 
UK Consumer Confidence Weakens Amid Middle East Conflict and Rising Living Costs 
Oil Prices Rebound as Iran Denies U.S. Talks Amid Gulf War Supply Fears 
Gold Prices Surge on U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Reports 
Bank of Japan Officials Signal Continued Interest Rate Hikes Amid Inflation Concerns 
Suspicious Oil Market Trades Precede Trump's Iran Peace Post by 15 Minutes 
Japan's Private Sector Growth Slows in March Amid Rising Costs and Middle East Uncertainty 
Asian Currencies Weaken as Dollar Rebounds Amid Middle East Uncertainty and Japan Inflation Data 
Oil Prices Climb as Iran Reviews U.S. Peace Proposal Amid Middle East Tensions 
Asian Markets Rally as Oil Prices Tumble and Middle East Peace Hopes Emerge 
Japan Eyes Oil Futures Intervention to Stabilize Yen Amid Middle East Crisis 
Australia-EU Free Trade Deal Signed After Years of Negotiations 
Federal Reserve Balance Sheet Reduction: Brookings Research Outlines Possible Path Forward 
Australia's Inflation Eases in February but Core Pressures Persist 
ECB Eyes Rate Hike Amid Iran Conflict-Driven Energy Price Surge 
Most Asian stocks retreated on Friday amid profit-taking in the technology sector, while South Korea’s benchmark surged to new highs following a week-long holiday. The regional downturn mirrored Wall Street’s overnight pullback, as the tech rally paused and the U.S. government shutdown delayed key economic data.
S&P 500 futures gained 0.2% in Asian trading, supported by persistent expectations of an October rate cut by the Federal Reserve. Optimism over a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas also buoyed sentiment.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 dropped 1% and the broader TOPIX index slid 1.7%, both retreating from record levels. Tech giant SoftBank Group (TYO:9984) led losses with a 3.4% drop, following a stronger-than-expected producer price inflation reading for September. The data raised concerns that the Bank of Japan may hike rates sooner, despite likely political resistance from the incoming Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, known for her dovish fiscal stance. Japanese markets had rallied earlier in the week on her election as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s new leader.
Chinese stocks also slipped, with the CSI 300 down 0.5% and the Shanghai Composite off 0.2%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell nearly 1%, dragged by losses in tech and biotech shares. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (HK:0981) tumbled 5.2%, while WuXi AppTec (HK:2359) and WuXi Biologics (HK:2269) dropped up to 3% after U.S. lawmakers advanced a bill restricting investments in Chinese biotech firms.
Elsewhere, Singapore’s Straits Times Index fell 0.2%, while Australia’s ASX 200 remained flat. India’s Nifty 50 futures rose 0.2% ahead of key tech earnings.
South Korea’s KOSPI was the standout performer, rallying 1.5% to a record 3,617.86. The surge came as chipmakers SK Hynix (KS:000660) and Samsung Electronics (KS:005930) soared 6.6% and 5.1%, respectively, on optimism over new processor supply deals with OpenAI, signaling robust growth prospects for the semiconductor sector.
