United News of Bangladesh

Asian stock markets mostly rose Tuesday amid cautious trading, as oil prices surged ahead of a U.S. deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face possible attacks on its infrastructure. Japan’s Nikkei 225 edged up 0.1% to close at 53,429.56. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 1.7% to 8,728.80, while South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.8% to 5,494.78. China’s Shanghai Composite rose 0.3% to 3,890.16. Trading was closed in Hong Kong for a holiday. On Wall Street, stock indexes also moved higher. The S&P 500 added 0.4%, coming off its first weekly gain in six weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 165 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.5%. In energy markets, U.S. crude jumped $2.41 to $114.82 a barrel, while Brent crude rose $1.46 to $111.23 a barrel well above pre-war levels of around $70. Oil prices have been volatile amid uncertainty over the war with Iran and its impact on global oil and gas supplies. Iran rejected the latest ceasefire proposal Monday, calling instead for a permanent end to the conflict. Analysts at Mizuho Bank in Singapore said President Trump’s repeated ultimatums are part of a growing cycle of escalation. “Hopes for a complete resolution remain slim as countries seek bilateral solutions,” they said. Meanwhile, Iranian and Omani officials continued working on a plan to manage the strait, through which nearly a fifth of the world’s oil passes. In bonds, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield held at 4.33%, above its pre-war level of 3.97%. In currency markets, the dollar edged up to 159.86 yen from 159.62, while the euro fell slightly to $1.1541 from $1.1543.

Asian share markets slipped on Thursday, while oil prices climbed back near $100 per barrel as hopes for easing tensions in the Iran conflict remained unclear. U.S. futures dropped by 0.5%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.3% to 53,603.65, while South Korea’s Kospi saw a sharper decline of 3.2% to 5,460.46. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index dropped 1.9% to 24,856.43, and China’s Shanghai Composite lost 1.1% to 3,889.08. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped slightly by 0.1%, and Taiwan’s Taiex was down 0.3%. Oil prices increased again on Thursday. Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose 3.3% to $100.41 per barrel after falling below $95 the previous day. U.S. crude also climbed 3.8% to $93.74 per barrel. The rise in oil prices followed Iran’s rejection of a U.S.-proposed ceasefire plan on Wednesday. The proposal, put forward by the administration of President Donald Trump, included 15 points aimed at easing tensions. Trump also delayed his earlier deadline to take strong action against Iran’s power facilities in an effort to push Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Iran carried out further attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab nations, while Israel launched airstrikes on Tehran. The U.S. is also preparing to send additional troops to the region. The Strait of Hormuz — a key route between Iran and Oman through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes — has remained mostly closed since the conflict began. As a result, oil prices have been volatile, rising roughly 40% over the past four weeks. On Wednesday, U.S. stock markets ended higher. The S&P 500 rose 0.5% to 6,591.90, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.7% to 46,429.49, and the Nasdaq composite increased 0.8% to 21,929.83. Shares of Arm Holdings surged 16.4% in the U.S. after the British company announced plans to produce and sell its own chips, a move expected to boost future earnings. Meanwhile, shares of Swiss sportswear brand On Holding dropped 11.2% after its CEO Martin Hoffmann announced he would step down. The company has appointed its two co-founders as co-CEOs. In early Thursday trading, gold and silver prices declined. Gold fell 2.7% to $4,428.80 per ounce, while silver dropped 5.2% to $68.88 per ounce. The U.S. dollar edged up slightly to 159.49 Japanese yen from 159.47 yen, while the euro remained unchanged at $1.1559.

Stocks rose in morning trading Friday and put Wall Street on track to close a strong week at an all-time high. The S&P 500 rose 0.5% early Friday and is on track to surpass its record set in February. The Nasdaq composite rose 0.5% and is also on track for a record. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6%, or 273 points, to 43,657 as of 9:58 am Eastern. A record for the S&P 500 would mark a sharp turnaround from just three months ago, when the key measure of Wall Street's health fell nearly 20% from the February high on fears that President Donald Trump's trade policy could harm the economy. The gains on Friday were broad, with nearly every sector within the S&P 500 rising. Nike soared 15.3% for the biggest gain on the market, despite warning of a steep hit from tariffs. The broader market has seemingly shaken off fears about the Israel-Iran war disrupting the global supply of crude oil and sending oil prices higher. A ceasefire between the two nations is still in place. The price of crude oil in the US rose 1%, but has broadly fallen back since last week to levels in place before the conflict began. US, China sign trade deal; Trump hopeful of deal with India Investors are also monitoring potential progress on trade conflicts between the US and the world, specifically with China. Trump said the US and China have signed a trade deal without providing details. China’s Commerce Ministry also said that the two sides had “further confirmed the details of the framework” for their trade talks. But its statement did not explicitly mention an agreement to ensure US access to rare earths, materials used in high-tech applications that have been at the center of negotiations. An update on inflation Friday showed prices ticked higher in May, though the rate mostly matched economists' projections. Bond yields rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.28% from 4.24% late Thursday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do, rose to 3.75% from 3.72% late Thursday. Stocks in Europe were mostly higher, while stocks in Asia finished mixed.

Asian stocks sank Wednesday after President Donald Trump threatened more tariff hikes on Chinese imports if talks aimed at ending a trade war fail to produce an interim agreement.