Asian markets were mostly in positive territory on Friday

Major Asian markets were mostly in positive territory on Friday afternoon following the easing of U.S.-Iran tensions, and after U.S. stocks shot to new highs overnight.

Asian Markets

  • In Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.47% to close at 23,850.57, while the Topix was up 0.35% to 1,735.16.
  • The Kospi jumped 0.91% to close at 2,206.39.
  • The Shanghai composite inched down to close at 3,092.29.
  • The Shenzhen composite fell 0.18% to 1,797.35 and the Shenzhen component dropped 0.17% to 10,879.84.
  • Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index, however, climbed 0.19% in its final hour of trade.
  • MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.48%.

Currencies Markets

  • The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, continued to strengthen, building on gains through the week. It was last at 97.412.
  • The safe-haven Japanese yen traded at 109.56 versus the greenback, pulling back after strengthening earlier in the week.
  • The Australian dollar was at around $0.6877, continuing its slide through the week.

Oil Prices

  • Oil prices on Thursday slipped to levels near prices before U.S.-Iran tensions shot up.
  • During the afternoon of Asia hours on Friday, prices continued falling. U.S. crude futures dropped 0.15% to $59.46 per barrel.
  • Brent crude was down 0.12% to $65.30 per barrel.

Source: Reuters.com

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