Asian Stocks Steady as Iran War Concerns Persist Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit

Asian stock markets traded in a narrow range on Wednesday as investors remained cautious over the ongoing Iran conflict and its potential impact on global inflation. Market sentiment also stayed focused on the upcoming summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which could influence trade relations and technology cooperation between the world’s two largest economies.

South Korea’s KOSPI emerged as the strongest performer in the region, climbing 1.4% after recovering from the previous session’s losses. The rebound was largely driven by renewed buying in semiconductor stocks, particularly after reports revealed that NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang would join Trump’s delegation during the China visit. The news fueled optimism that restrictions on chip sales to China could ease, potentially boosting demand across the semiconductor sector.

SK Hynix surged 4%, while Samsung Electronics recovered from earlier weakness despite ongoing labor concerns related to wage negotiations at a major semiconductor facility. Investor confidence also improved after South Korean officials clarified that proposed artificial intelligence profit-sharing plans would not involve new corporate windfall taxes.

Chinese markets remained mostly flat ahead of the highly anticipated Trump-Xi meeting. The CSI 300 and Shanghai Composite indexes posted minor gains, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index edged slightly higher. Investors are closely watching discussions expected to cover trade tariffs, Taiwan, artificial intelligence, and broader economic cooperation.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 and TOPIX indexes advanced as technology stocks strengthened and fresh economic data showed the country’s current account surplus reached a record high in March. Analysts attributed the improvement to strong AI-related demand and continued yen weakness.

Meanwhile, Australia’s ASX 200 slipped 0.4% after Commonwealth Bank of Australia plunged 10% due to increased risk provisions tied to Middle East tensions. Losses in the banking sector weighed heavily on the broader Australian market.