Asian stocks rallied on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump flagged an end to the Iran war in the coming weeks, while dip-buying after bruising losses in March also aided local markets.

The World Trade Organization is unable to deal with the core challenges of the global trading system, but the U.S. is not ready to leave the body, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States could end its military operation against Iran within "two or three weeks," as concerns mount over the Middle East war's impact on oil prices and inflation.

U.S. consumer confidence unexpectedly edged up in March, but households

Core consumer prices in Tokyo rose 1.7 per cent in March from a year earlier, data showed on Tuesday, staying below the central bank's 2 per cent target for a second straight month as the effect of fuel subsidies offset rising costs from a weak yen.

Malaysia's economy is on track to grow faster in 2026 than initially projected, the central bank said on Tuesday, despite trade disruptions and higher fuel prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East and U.S. tariffs.