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Asia-Pacific markets saw a significant boost on Tuesday as investors keep a close eye on the evolving situation in the Iran war. U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly considering postponing his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping by “a month or so” due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The meeting was initially scheduled for the end of March.

In commodity markets, international benchmark Brent crude futures experienced a notable decline of 2.84%, settling at $100.21 per barrel on Monday. However, after some fluctuations, Brent rebounded, rising 1% to $101.58. Meanwhile, U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures dropped 5.28% to $93.50 but later gained 2%, reaching $95.47. The S&P/ASX 200 in Australia added 0.27% amid anticipation of a second consecutive interest rate hike by the central bank, pushing rates to 4.1%, the highest level since April 2025, according to Reuters.

Japanese markets also saw positive movement, with the Nikkei 225 climbing 0.75% and the Topix rising over 1%. South Korea’s Kospi surged by 2.94%, while the small-cap Kosdaq gained 1.53%. Notably, memory manufacturers SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics saw their stock prices increase by over 3% and 4%, respectively. This optimism followed comments from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who indicated that orders for Blackwell and Vera Rubin chips could reach $1 trillion by 2027, announced at Nvidia’s annual developer conference.

Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index were set at 25,894, slightly up from the previous close of 25,834.02. Following recent trends, stock futures in the U.S. showed little movement after major indices made gains overnight as oil prices cooled. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dipped 46 points, or 0.1%, while S&P 500 futures also lost 0.1%, and Nasdaq 100 futures fell nearly 0.2%.

In the U.S. market overnight, investors witnessed a positive turnaround with stocks rising as oil prices retracted. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 387.94 points, or 0.83%, closing at 46,946.41. The S&P 500 climbed 1.01% to finish at 6,699.38, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.22%, closing at 22,374.18.

Among notable stock movements, Meta shares rose more than 2%, despite company officials labeling reports of potential layoffs exceeding 20% of the workforce as “speculative.” Additionally, Nvidia’s stock increased over 1% coinciding with the start of its GTC conference on Monday.

As market dynamics continue to evolve amid geopolitical tensions, investors remain vigilant, closely monitoring the impact of the Iran war on global economies and commodity prices. The immediate future promises to be pivotal, with critical engagements such as the forthcoming talks between Trump and Xi hanging in the balance.

Stay tuned for insights and analysis as this situation develops.

Original Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/17/asia-pacific-markets-today-nikkei-225-kospi-hang-seng-index.html
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Publish Date: 2026-03-17 05:45:00