HOME > MARKETS > MARKET COMMENTARY
  MARKET COMMENTARY
EQUITY
Asian markets settle lower on Thursday
Apr-02-2026
Asian markets settled lower on Thursday as hopes for a potential end to the Middle East conflict faded following US President Donald Trump’s prime-time address where the President discussed ongoing military actions in Iran. Trump stated that US military strategic goals in Iran were nearing completion, and threatened to hit Iran extremely hard over the next two to three weeks without giving details as to when the conflict would end. South Korean shares dropped after data showed South Korea's consumer prices rose 2.2% in March, exceeded the Bank of Korea's 2% target. South Korean President Lee Jae ⁠Myung urged parliament to promptly ‌pass a 26.2 trillion won ($17.3 billion) supplementary budget to ⁠shore up the ⁠economy during the worst ⁠energy security ⁠threat ⁠caused by the Middle East crisis. Japanese shares declined despite Wall Street’s gains overnight. 

Asian Indices

Last Trade            

Change in Points

Change in %      

Shanghai Composite

3,919.29

-29.26

-0.75

Hang Seng

25,116.53

-177.50

-0.70

Jakarta Composite

7,026.78

-157.66

-2.24

KLSE Composite

1,698.30

-10.60

-0.62

Nikkei 225

52,463.27

-1,276.41

-2.38

Straits Times

4,947.50

-28.33

-0.57

KOSPI Composite

5,234.05

-244.65

-4.67

Taiwan Weighted

32,572.43

-602.39

-1.85






  RELATED NEWS >>