Asia-Pacific markets trade mixed as investors assess Israel-Iran conflict; BOJ stands pat on rates

Asia-Pacific markets trade mixed as investors assess Israel-Iran conflict; BOJ stands pat on rates


Sunset at Shinjuku , Tokyo – Japan.

Xavierarnau | E+ | Getty Images

Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Tuesday, as investors assessed the Israel-Iran conflict after U.S. President Donald Trump urged “everyone” to immediately evacuate Tehran. The president subsequently left the Group of Seven summit a day earlier due to the Middle East crisis.

Fitch Ratings said that a spillover from the conflict “appears to be within the range that can be absorbed at Israel’s ‘A’/Negative rating level.”

“The fighting will remain contained between Israel and Iran, and will not persist for more than a few weeks,” the ratings agency’s analysts wrote in a Monday note.

Similarly, Samy Chaar, chief economist and CIO Switzerland at Lombard Odier said the confrontation between the two countries look very much controlled so far, despite “market jitters” in commodity prices.

For now, he sees “no sign of an irreversible escalation.”

“That said, even without an escalation in the conflict, lingering uncertainty and structurally higher energy costs retain the potential to slow economic growth and push inflation higher,” Chaar wrote in a Tuesday note.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.58% while the broader Topix index advanced 0.29%, after the Bank of Japan expectedly stood pat on interest rates at 0.5%, as growth risks loom. The central bank also said it would slow the pace of government bond purchases from next April.

In South Korea, the Kospi index increased by 0.24% while the small-cap Kosdaq was flat.

Mainland China’s CSI 300 index dipped 0.15%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index inched down 0.12%.

Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 benchmark fell 0.13% in choppy trade.

Meanwhile, India’s Nifty 50 started the day 0.29% lower, while the BSE Sensex index was down 0.15%.

U.S. stock futures fell in Asian hours as investors continued to assess the developments around the Israel-Iran conflict.

Overnight stateside, all three key benchmarks rose on hopes for a positive resolution to the Middle East conflict.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 317.30 points, or 0.75%, closing at 42,515.09. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 advanced 0.94% to end at 6,033.11, while the Nasdaq Composite surged 1.52% and settled at 19,701.21.

— CNBC’s Sean Conlon and Alex Harring contributed to this report.



Source

Novo Nordisk’s stock plunge isn’t surprising. Why companies clear the deck for new CEOs
World

Novo Nordisk’s stock plunge isn’t surprising. Why companies clear the deck for new CEOs

Novo Nordisk shares nosedived on the day its new chief executive, Maziar Mike Doustdar, was appointed. But that shouldn’t have come as a surprise to investors. Minutes before the news of Doustdar’s appointment on Tuesday, the Danish pharmaceutical giant reported a profit warning, slashing its operating profit growth by around a third to the new […]

Read More
iPhone maker Foxconn joins  trillion AI data center market with new alliance
World

iPhone maker Foxconn joins $1 trillion AI data center market with new alliance

Foxconn Hon Hai Technology Group signage during the Nvidia GPU Technology Conference (GTC) in San Jose, California, US, on Thursday, March 20, 2025. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Foxconn on Wednesday said it is taking a stake in TECO Electric & Machinery Co., as it looks to supercharge its efforts to become […]

Read More
U.S. economy grew at a 3% rate in Q2, a better-than-expected pace even as Trump’s tariffs hit
World

U.S. economy grew at a 3% rate in Q2, a better-than-expected pace even as Trump’s tariffs hit

Shipping containers are stacked on the Ever Magic container ship operated by Evergreen at the Port of Los Angeles on June 25, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Mario Tama | Getty Images The U.S. economy grew at a much better than expected pace in the second quarter, powered by a turnaround in the trade balance […]

Read More