Asian Markets Rise Amid US-Russia Talks and Tariff Speculation
Asian shares mostly advanced on Thursday following an agreement between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to initiate discussions on ending the war in Ukraine.
Investor optimism was further boosted by the possibility that Trump may suspend some of the tariffs he had previously announced.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 climbed 1.3% to 39,483.65, while South Korea’s Kospi also gained 1.3%, closing at 2,581.42. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 2.3% to 22,359.70, whereas China’s Shanghai Composite remained largely unchanged at 3,347.56. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.1% to 8,540.
Meanwhile, on Wall Street, stocks retreated on Wednesday following a report indicating an unexpected rise in inflation for American consumers.
The S&P 500 slipped 0.3% to 6,051.97, though it had initially been on track for a steeper 1.1% loss at the start of trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.5% to 44,368.56, while the Nasdaq Composite eked out a modest gain of less than 0.1%, closing at 19,649.95.
In the bond market, the yield on 10-year US Treasury notes climbed to 4.62%, up from 4.54% on Tuesday.
