Frank Fell/Robert Saading | Collection Mix: Theme | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets opened with mixed trading as investors remained cautious despite the three-week extension of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, highlighting the persistence of geopolitical uncertainty.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend the ceasefire for three weeks after meeting with top US officials at the White House.
“The meeting went very well!” President Trump said in a post on Truth Social announcing the extension of the temporary ceasefire.
The temporary ceasefire, originally scheduled to expire in 10 days, will now provide additional time for diplomatic efforts, with Washington also pledging to work with Lebanon to strengthen its defenses against Hezbollah.
In Friday trading, international benchmark Brent crude rose 0.82% to $105.93 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures rose 0.51% to $96.34 a barrel.
Japanese Nikkei Stock Average The TOPIX rose 0.97% to close at 59,716.18 as Japan’s core inflation accelerated for the first time in five months, rising to 1.8% in March as energy concerns escalated due to the Iran war. On the other hand, TOPIX closed relatively flat at 3,716.59.
Government data showed that inflation, which excludes the price of fresh food, was in line with economists’ forecasts in a Reuters poll of 1.8% and higher than February’s 1.6%.
Korean Kospi ended the trading day flat at 6,475.63, while the small-cap Kosdaq rose 2.51% to 1,203.84.
Hong Kong Hang Seng Index fell 0.16% and the CSI 300 fell 0.35% to 4,769.37.
In Australia, S&P/ASX 200 It fell 0.08% to 8,786.5.
Investor uncertainty over the outcome of the Iran war weighed on markets, with U.S. stocks falling overnight on Thursday led by declines in software stocks and rising oil prices.
The S&P 500 fell 0.41% to close at 7,108.40 after earlier hitting an intraday high. The Nasdaq Composite Index, which has a high proportion of high-tech stocks, fell 0.89% to end at 24,438.50. It also set a new record for the session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 179.71 points, or 0.36%, to end at 49,310.32.
—CNBC’s Lim Hui Jie contributed to this report.
