Asian Stock Markets Shine in Response to Trump's Claims of US-Iran Peace Signals

Asian-Pacific stock markets strengthened at the opening of trading on Wednesday, 25 March 2026. The gains were supported by sentiment from statements by the United States President, who said discussions are underway to achieve peace with Iran. However, on one side, the Tehran government denied any negotiations. On Tuesday, 24 March 2026, Trump stated that the US and Iran are negotiating and signalled that Tehran wants to reach a peace agreement. He added that he has withdrawn threats to target Iran’s energy infrastructure as negotiation processes are ongoing. Quoting CNBC International, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index surged 2.5% at the start of the trading session. Meanwhile, the Topix index jumped 2.4%. In South Korea, the Kospi index rose 2.5%. The Kosdaq index, comprising small-cap stocks, also recorded a gain of 1.6%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index soared more than 1.4%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng futures index slipped to 24,972 from the previous level of 25,063.71. The US stock market, however, was on fire while the benchmark indices in Asia shone. The S&P 500 index fell 0.37% to the 6,556.37 area. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 84.41 points or 0.18% to 46,124.06. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite eroded 0.84% to 21,761.89.