Asian stock markets retreated on Thursday as fresh U.S. military strikes on Iran dampened recent investor optimism over a near-term peace agreement, while traders turned cautious ahead of key U.S. inflation data later in the day.
Wall Street’s major indexes closed at all-time highs overnight, on hopes of easing Middle East tensions and lower oil prices.
U.S. stock futures were little changed during Asian hours on Thursday.
US strikes Iran again; peace deal hopes fade
Sentiment weakened in Asian trading after reports that the United States had carried out fresh military strikes on Iran on Wednesday -- marking a second round of strikes this week.
The attacks came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed reports that Iran and Oman would jointly oversee shipping through the Strait of Hormuz under a proposed peace arrangement.
Oil prices rebounded more than 2% after the strikes, reversing part of Wednesday’s steep decline. Brent crude traded near $97 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude climbed above $90.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 eased 0.1% to 64,921.1 points on Thursday after hitting a record high of 66,428.81 points in the previous session. Japan's broader TOPIX index edged down 0.2%.
South Korea’s KOSPI fell 1.1% to 8,139.21 points after scaling fresh record highs of 8,457.09 on Wednesday, with chipmakers and AI-linked stocks pausing following a strong recent rally.
Source : Investing. com