A screen displays share prices inside the Kabuto One building in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, April 13, 2026. Oil surged and stocks fell after President\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0ordered a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions with Iran following the collapse of weekend peace talks. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota\/Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images<\/p>\n
Asia-Pacific markets traded higher Friday as investors assess U.S.-Iran diplomatic efforts to reach a peace deal in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
However, Tehran’s intention to keep its enriched uranium <\/a>stockpile within the country, according to a Reuters report, could complicate its negotiations with Washington, as President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0has made dismantling Iran’s nuclear program a central objective of his military action against the country.<\/p>\n Japan’s\u00a0Nikkei 225<\/a> ended Friday’s session at 2.68% higher at 63,339.07, while the Topix added 1% at 3,892.46. Japan’s core inflation eased more than expected in April to its lowest level since March 2022, weakening the case for an early rate hike by the Bank of Japan.<\/p>\n Core inflation \u2014 which strips out prices of fresh food \u2014 came in at 1.4%, lower than the 1.7% expected by economists polled by Reuters and below the 1.8% reading in March.<\/p>\n South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.41% to 7,847.71, while the Kosdaq Index jumped nearly 5% to 1,161.13. Australia’s S&P\/ASX 200<\/a> was up 0.41% at 8,657.<\/p>\n Hong Kong’s\u00a0Hang Seng index<\/a> rose 0.81% in the last hour of afternoon trade, while mainland China’s CSI 300 added 1.3% at 4,845.1.<\/p>\n India’s Nifty 50<\/a> gained 0.75%, while the BSE Sensex was 0.8% higher.<\/p>\n Oil prices rose after declining in the previous session. July futures for international benchmark, Brent\u00a0crude<\/a>,\u00a0gained 2.96% to $105.62 a barrel in Asia trading, while U.S.\u00a0West Texas Intermediate futures<\/a>\u00a0for June advanced 2.46% at $98.68 per barrel.<\/p>\n The\u00a0U.S. 10-year Treasury<\/a>\u00a0yield, which has backed off its highs, was last down more than 1 basis point at 4.57%. The longer-dated\u00a030-year Treasury bond<\/a>\u00a0yield, which is more sensitive to political risks, was down 2 basis points to 5.091%.<\/p>\n Moody’s Head of Global Ratings and Research Philipp Lotter told CNBC that global credit markets are facing longer-term upward pressure on yield curves and borrowing costs. Governments are contending with rising spending needs, weaker demographics and major investment demands, he said.<\/p>\n Lotter pointed to “significant increases in defense spending requirements,” especially in Europe, as well as the “billions and billions” needed for AI and data-center expansion globally and in Asia. <\/p>\n Those forces are creating an “additional mismatch” between spending and savings, he said, “causing that further structural imbalance globally.”<\/p>\n Overnight on Wall Street, the\u00a0Dow Jones Industrial Average<\/a>\u00a0rose to a record close. The blue-chip index gained 276.31 points, or 0.55%, for a closing record of 50,285.66. The\u00a0S&P 500<\/a>\u00a0advanced 0.17% to 7,445.72, while the\u00a0Nasdaq Composite<\/a>\u00a0increased 0.09% to end at 26,293.10.<\/p>\n \u2014 CNBC’s Sean Conlon and Alex Harring contributed to this report<\/p>\n