On Wednesday (22 April, 9:33 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in the Asia Pacific showed a varied performance as investors remained cautious over persistent instability in the Middle East. This followed President Donald Trump’s announcement of an extended U.S. ceasefire in Iran, raising concerns that the tensions could persist for some time.
Trump indicated the extension was made following requests from Field Marshal Asim Munir and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, emphasizing that Iran’s government was deeply fractured. He stated that military attacks would be delayed to allow Iranian officials time to prepare a unified response, with the U.S. continuing to maintain its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Despite this move, the overall situation remains unresolved. Iranian negotiators, according to the country’s state media, have announced they would not take part in talks with the U.S., dismissing such dialogue as unproductive. The duration of the ceasefire and the prospects for further diplomatic progress remain unclear.
South Korea’s KOSPI fell by 0.35% to 6,366.23. Australia’s ASX 200 dropped by 0.94% to 8,865.50, while Japan’s NIKKEI rose by 0.49% to 59,637.10.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC climbed by 0.06% to 4,087.54. Shenzhen’s SZI increased by 0.16% to 15,006.27, while Hong Kong’s HSI plummeted by 1.25% to 26,156.33.
The U.S. stock markets edged down on Tuesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) declined by 0.59% to 49,149.38. NASDAQ shrank by 0.59% to 24,259.96, and S&P 500 lost 0.63% to 7,064.01. VIX soared by 3.34% to 19.50.
As for commodities, oil prices moved lower on Wednesday as traders weighed the prospects for U.S.-Iran diplomatic progress, following Trump’s decision to prolong a ceasefire. Brent futures slid 15 cents or 0.15% to $98.33 per barrel, and the WTI futures dipped 38 cents or 0.42% to $89.29 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures grew by 1.17% to $4,774.90 per Troy ounce.
