Asian Stock Markets Open Higher Again, Kospi Leads the Gains

Asian stock markets opened higher this morning, Thursday (16/4/2026). Markets in the region are also following the main Wall Street indices to new record highs. South Korea’s Kospi index rose 1.03%, while the Kosdaq index, which covers small-cap stocks, rose 0.77%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose 0.81%, while the Topix rose 0.70%. Meanwhile, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index rose slightly by 0.22%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index futures contract was at 26,129, compared to the index’s previous close of 25,947.32. Stocks have strengthened throughout the week amid the possibility of a peace agreement between the US and Iran. The S&P 500 index, which has fully recovered from losses due to tensions over the war with Iran on Monday, has risen 3% this week. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq and Dow have risen around 5% and more than 1%, respectively. Citing CNBC International, the Iran war is very close to an end. This was stated by President Donald Trump in an interview with Fox Business. “Very eager to reach an agreement,” he said. A White House official told CNBC that the second round of negotiations between Washington and Iran is being discussed. According to the official, who asked not to be named to discuss government plans, no official schedule has been set. For information, West Texas Intermediate oil prices fell 0.38% to US$90.94 per barrel at 20:00 ET. Brent crude oil prices, the international benchmark, fell 0.36% to US$94.59 per barrel. Last night on Wall Street, S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures contracts were traded around flat levels. Futures contracts related to the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 45 points, or 0.1%.