Asian Markets React to Oil Price Swings and US Bond Market Volatility
Asian shares were trading mixed on Thursday as investors tried to make sense of recent swings in oil prices and the U.S. bond market.
The Nikkei 225 in Japan gained 0.8% to 65,513.99, with some chipmakers benefiting from the increased interest in artificial intelligence.
However, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.7% to 8,702.00, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.4% to 24,730.44 and the Shanghai Composite dipped 1.2% to 3,889.47.
U.S. crude oil rose 0.67% to $92.78 a barrel, while Brent crude gained 0.57% to $103.67 a barrel.
The ongoing war with Iran and potential trade agreements between the U.S. and China are also on investors' minds, with some analysts expressing skepticism about major breakthroughs in talks between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.