On Wednesday (23 September, 9:16 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in the Asia-Pacific traded mixed as crude prices dipped, influenced by renewed diplomatic actions between the United States and Iran.
The downward movement in oil followed news that top officials from the two countries held a three-hour discussion on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. U.S. President Donald Trump described the exchange as a “very good meeting.”
Technology stocks maintained their outperformance in global equity markets, with semiconductor companies driving much of the recent gains. With few significant economic releases on the calendar for the week, investors are closely monitoring any progress in U.S.-Iran diplomacy and the potential impact on crude benchmarks and government bond yields.
Market participants are also awaiting developments from the upcoming meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, anticipating updates on trade negotiations and broader economic ties.
Notably, markets in Japan remained closed for a holiday and will resume trading on Thursday.
South Korea’s KOSPI climbed by 0.08% to 7,023.78, and Australia’s ASX 200 rose by 0.05% to 8,761.90.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC slid by 0.18% to 3,944.87. Shenzhen’s SZI decreased by 0.38% to 13,671.99, and Hong Kong’s HSI contracted by 0.84% to 24,876.17.
The U.S. stock markets were mixed on Tuesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) dropped by 0.36% to 51,863.69. NASDAQ gained 0.45% to 27,244.27, while S&P 500 remained relatively unchanged at 7,764.64. VIX slumped by 4.44% to 14.21.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Tuesday as higher volumes of Saudi crude became available following the reopening of the East-West pipeline, while ongoing vessel activity through the Strait of Hormuz provided further support for the decline. Brent’s November contract ended the session at $99.25 per barrel, a decrease of $1.09 or 1.09%. The U.S. West Texas Intermediate contract for October, expiring on Tuesday closed at $94.99 per barrel, down $1.19 or 1.24%.
This morning, Brent futures dipped 44 cents, or 0.44%, to $98.81 per barrel, and WTI futures shrank 73 cents, or 0.81%, to $89.79 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures edged down by 0.01% to $4,375.90 per Troy ounce.
