Asia-Pacific markets rose on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump hinted at possible talks with Iran, boosting investor sentiment despite Tehran’s denials of direct talks with Washington.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, President Trump said the United States and Iran were “currently negotiating,” suggesting Tehran was keen to reach a peace deal, adding that he distanced himself from threats to target Iran’s energy infrastructure “based on the fact that we are negotiating.”
Korean Kospi rose 1.59% to close at 5,642.21, while the small-cap Kosdaq rose 3.40% to close at 1,159.55.
australian S&P/ASX 200 It rose 1.85% to close at 8,534.3.
Japanese Nikkei Stock Average rose 2.87% to 53,749.61, and TOPIX rose 2.57% to 3,650.99.
hong kong Hang Seng Index rose 1.09% and the CSI 300 rose 1.4% to 4,537.47.
PopMart’s annual sales rose about 185% from a year earlier to 37.12 billion yuan ($5.4 billion), and its stock price plunged more than 23%, even as adjusted net profit soared more than 284%.
Morningstar said PopMart’s blockbuster growth continues to be driven by its flagship Love Mart franchise, and warned that despite diversification efforts, the company remains heavily reliant on limited IP and that expansion into areas such as licensing and theme park operations has high execution risks.
Oil fell on Wednesday amid signs of escalating conflict in the Middle East. Brent crude oil futures, the international benchmark, fell about 6% to $98.31 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 5% to $87.65 a barrel.
U.S. stock futures rose stateside Tuesday night, with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.7% and 0.8%, respectively. Futures, which track the Dow Jones Industrial Average, rose 318 points, or 0.7%.
Futures rose after the S&P 500 index retreated as oil prices rose again while the Iran war entered its fourth week, regaining some of the surge seen in the previous session.
The broader market index fell 0.37% to end at 6,556.37, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 84.41 points, or 0.18%, to settle at 46,124.06. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.84% to close at 21,761.89.
—CNBC’s Sean Conlon and Lisa Kailai Han contributed to this report.
