Asian Markets Mostly Green Ahead of Weekend
Asian stock markets showed a majority of indices moving in the green zone during morning trade ahead of the weekend. The sentiment was driven by increasing investor optimism regarding global economic prospects and easing concerns over geopolitical conflict in the Middle East.
According to trade data at 08:23 Western Indonesia Time, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index surged 2,250.00 points, or 3.50%, to 66,467.35. Meanwhile, South Korea’s KOSPI index recorded the sharpest rise in the region, soaring 590.73 points, or 7.61%, to 8,354.68. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 also moved positively, gaining 153.70 points, or 1.78%, to 8,786.90.
In contrast to the majority of Asian bourses, China’s market moved in a limited range. The Shanghai Composite Index was recorded slightly weaker, down 1.163 points, or 0.03%, to 3,985.852.
US stock futures edged higher on Thursday evening as market participants awaited the historic initial public offering (IPO) of SpaceX on Friday. S&P 500 futures rose about 0.2%, while Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.2%. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 59 points, or 0.1%.
Stocks surged on Thursday, driven by a rebound in chip stocks and signals from President Donald Trump that the US and Iran could soon sign a peace deal. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that a deal between the US and Iran would be signed soon, with documents nearly finalised. “It should be done, and it should be done fairly quickly,” he said on Friday (12/6/2026). Trump added that under the deal, Iran would never possess a nuclear weapon. Stocks had strengthened earlier in the day after Trump posted on Truth Social that he had called off an attack on Iran originally planned for Thursday evening.
On Friday, investors are focusing on Elon Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, which is set to debut on the Nasdaq. Going public under the ticker SPCX, SpaceX has set a fixed price of US$135 per share, giving the company a valuation of US$1.77 trillion. The company plans to sell 555.6 million shares, meaning it will raise US$75 billion, making it the largest initial public offering in history. This amount is more than triple Alibaba’s US$22 billion offering in 2014, which currently stands as the largest IPO in the US to date.
If the IPO proceeds as planned, it could potentially serve as a major catalyst for stock movements on Friday. However, some investors are concerned that the sheer scale of the offering could put pressure on the market. Even if the market is able to absorb these new SpaceX shares, IPOs are known for high volatility, and Friday’s offering could potentially trigger a leadership shift in the technology sector as investors seek capital to fund their new allocations.