Asian markets were mixed on Thursday after recovering from steeper losses earlier in the session, while oil prices rose following fresh U.S. military strikes against Iran.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.20%, while South Korea's Kospi rose 0.34% after tumbling as much as 4.1% earlier in the day. Japan's Nikkei 225 was down 0.37%, recovering from an earlier decline of 2.3%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.30%, while China's Shanghai Composite slipped 0.02%.
The region's markets steadied after an initial sell-off triggered by concerns that renewed hostilities in the Middle East could disrupt energy supplies and weigh on global economic growth.
U.S. equity futures remained lower. Futures linked to the S&P 500 fell 0.4%, while Nasdaq 100 futures lost 0.6%. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 123 points, or 0.3%.
Oil Advances
Oil prices climbed after the United States launched another round of military strikes against Iran, raising concerns about a prolonged disruption to energy supplies.
WTI crude futures for July delivery rose 2.94% to $92.68 a barrel, while Brent crude futures for August delivery gained 2.52% to $95.45 a barrel.
Fresh Strikes
The U.S. military completed strikes inside Iran on Wednesday at the direction of President Donald Trump, CNBC reported, citing the U.S. Central Command.
CENTCOM said the operation concluded at 9:04 p.m. ET and targeted Iranian military surveillance, communication and air defence sites.
The command said U.S. forces struck facilities that it viewed as threats to American military personnel and commercial vessels operating in regional waters.
CENTCOM said the operation began at 5:15 p.m. ET in response to what it described as Iran's continued aggression.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
