Brent, Nikkei 225, Kospi, Hang Seng Index
A screen displays share prices inside the Kabuto One building in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, April 13, 2026. Oil surged and stocks fell after President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions with Iran following the collapse of weekend peace talks. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Asia-Pacific markets traded higher Friday as investors assess U.S.-Iran diplomatic efforts at reaching a peace deal in the Middle East.
While oil prices fell in U.S. trading on hopes of a deal, reports that Tehran intends to keep its enriched uranium stockpile within the country stand to complicate negotiations with Washington as President Donald Trump has made dismantling Iran’s nuclear program a central objective of his military action against Tehran.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.36%, while the Topix added 0.55%. Japan’s core inflation eased more than expected in April to its lowest level since March 2022, weakening the case for an early rate hike by the Bank of Japan.
Core inflation — which strips out prices of fresh food — came in at 1.4%, lower than the 1.7% expected by economists polled by Reuters and below the 1.8% reading in March.
South Korea’s Kospi was up 0.52%, while the Kosdaq Index jumped over 3%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.5%.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 0.66%, while mainland China’s CSI 300 added 0.78%.
Oil prices rose after declining in the previous session. July futures for international benchmark, Brent crude, gained 1.9% to $104.52 a barrel in early Asia trading, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for June advanced 1.5% at $97.81 per barrel.
Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose to a record close. The blue-chip index gained 276.31 points, or 0.55%, for a closing record of 50,285.66. The S&P 500 advanced 0.17% to 7,445.72, while the Nasdaq Composite increased 0.09% to end at 26,293.10.
— CNBC’s Sean Conlon and Alex Harring contributed to this report
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