Asia-Pacific markets traded slightly higher on Tuesday, as hopes mounted that tensions between Israel and Iran may not escalate further, with reports suggesting Tehran is open to a diplomatic dialogue.
By 11:15 am AEST (1:15 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.1%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.5%. South Korea’s Kospi 200 lifted 1.1%.
Markets now focus on the Bank of Japan, which concludes its two-day policy meeting later today. The BoJ is widely expected to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 0.5%, amid a murky global trade outlook.
On Wall Street, stocks climbed during Monday’s session, with the Dow up 0.8%, the S&P 500 advancing 0.9%, and the Nasdaq rising 1.5%.
Commodities retreated from their recent highs. Brent crude eased 1.4% to US$73.23 a barrel, while spot gold dropped 1.4% to US$3,385.22 per ounce.
In China, the Shanghai Composite gained 0.4% and the CSI 300 rose 0.3%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was up 0.7%, while India’s BSE Sensex lagged, falling 0.8%.
European markets also finished higher. The FTSE 100 rose 0.3% to 8,875.2, the DAX gained 0.8% to 23,699.1, and France’s CAC 40 climbed 0.8% to 7,742.2.
