Asian shares are mixed and oil prices little changed as investors watch for US-Iran talks
Apr 21, 2026, 9:59 PM
People work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
TOKYO (AP) — Shares were mixed in Asia on Wednesday as markets waited to see if the United States and Iran may resume talks to end their war.
The price of Brent crude edged 1 cent higher to $98.51 a barrel. U.S. benchmark crude fell 0.4% to $89.29 a barrel.
Lower oil prices help bring down costs for all kinds of businesses. President Donald Trump said he was extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request while awaiting a “unified proposal” from Tehran. The U.S. military was keeping its blockade of Iranian ports
Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.5% to 59,653.56 and the Kospi in South Korea edged 0.2% lower to 6,374.46.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.9% to 8,866.20.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 1.3% to 26,137.59, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.1% to 4,090.24.
In Taiwan, the Taiex was up 1.1%.
On Tuesday, U.S. shares initially were lifted by signs that diplomats were working through back channels to arrange a new round of talks between the United States and Iran.
The S&P 500 erased an early rise to fall 0.6% after U.S. Vice President JD Vance called off a trip to Pakistan, where he had been expected to lead U.S. negotiators in talks with Iran to extend the ceasefire.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.6%, erasing an earlier gain of 400 points, while the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.6%.
On Wednesday, benchmark U.S. crude inched up 1 cent to $91.29 a barrel. Brent crude added 48 cents to $95.27, or less than 1% after falling 4.6% the day before. While that’s still above its roughly $70 price from before the war began in late February, it’s well below the peak level of $119.
Asian nations, including resource-poor Japan, depend on access to the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that’s the main avenue for crude oil produced in the Persian Gulf area to reach customers worldwide. Blockages there have kept oil off the global market, helping to drive up its price.
Global inflation this year looks set to accelerate to 4.4% from 4.1% in 2025, according to the International Monetary Fund, which had earlier thought inflation would slow to 3.8%. The IMF on Tuesday also downgraded its forecast for global economic growth to 3.1% this year from the 3.3% it had forecast in January.
In the bond market, Treasury yields eased as the fall for oil prices took some of the pressure off inflation. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.25% from 4.30% late Monday.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar fell to 159.27 Japanese yen from 159.38 yen. The euro cost $1.1746, down from $1.1744.
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AP Business Writer Stan Choe in New York contributed to this report.
Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama
