RBI Uses $10 Billion Currency Swaps to Drain Excess Rupee Liquidity 
European Stocks Fall as Bond Yields and Geopolitical Risks Weigh 
US Stock Futures Fall as Treasury Yields Surge Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit 
Wall Street Ends Flat as Oil, Treasury Yields and Fed Jitters Rattle Markets 
U.S. Treasury Yields Surge as 30-Year Hits 22-Year High 
Fed Unveils Stablecoin Rules Under GENIUS Act 
Trump, Xi Focus on Trade and AI at White House Summit 
Japan Private-Sector Growth Slows as Domestic Demand Weakens 
Oil Prices Surge as U.S.-Iran Diplomacy Hopes Fade 
Australia Unemployment Hits Five-Year High Despite Strong Jobs Growth 
Oil Prices Ease as Iran Tensions Clash With Diplomacy Hopes 
U.S. 10-Year Treasury Yield Hits 2007 High as Fed Rate Hike Bets Rise 
Russian Envoy Dmitriev Heads to US for Ukraine Talks 
Wall Street Falls as Treasury Yields Surge, Oil Rebounds on Iran Tensions 
U.S. Dollar Hits Two-Month High as Oil, Treasury Yields Surge 
China’s ‘Lipstick King’ Says AI Won’t Replace Livestream Hosts 
Add as a preferred source on Google
Asian stock markets declined on Friday as renewed military tensions between the United States and Iran weakened investor sentiment across the region. Concerns intensified after reports that the U.S. military intercepted attacks on warships in the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears of a wider conflict and disrupting hopes for a peaceful resolution in the Middle East.
The negative momentum followed losses on Wall Street overnight, although broader market declines in Asia remained relatively controlled. Investors continued to show confidence in technology and artificial intelligence-related stocks, helping S&P 500 Futures edge 0.2% higher during Asian trading hours.
South Korea’s KOSPI index was among the region’s weakest performers on Friday, dropping 1.6% after reaching record highs earlier in the week. Despite the decline, the index remained the strongest-performing Asian market this week, posting gains of more than 11%. The rally was fueled largely by strong performances in semiconductor stocks tied to the growing AI boom.
Samsung Electronics fell 3%, while SK Hynix declined 1.5% after a week of sharp gains. However, losses in SK Hynix were limited following reports that major global technology firms were making aggressive bids to secure memory chip supplies from the company amid rising AI demand.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 and TOPIX indexes both lost more than 1% as rising oil prices and expectations of a Bank of Japan interest rate hike pressured investor confidence. Strong wage growth data in Japan further supported speculation that tighter monetary policy may be approaching.
Chinese markets also traded lower, with the CSI 300 and Shanghai Composite indexes slipping modestly. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 1.2%, although technology shares continued to support weekly gains.
Australia’s ASX 200 dropped 1.5% after the Reserve Bank of Australia raised interest rates and warned inflation risks remain elevated. Singapore and India also showed weaker market sentiment as geopolitical uncertainty and higher oil prices continued to weigh on global investors.
