Majority of Asian Stock Markets Open Green This Week

Most Asian stock markets advanced in the green to open this week. Investors appear to be disregarding the latest diplomatic setback between the United States (US) and Iran, although heightened tensions in the Middle East have kept oil prices high.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose 0.53% to reach a record high, while South Korea’s Kospi index surged 1% and also hit a record high.

However, Australia’s stock market, the S&P/ASX 200 index, fell 0.54%.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures were at 26,041, compared to the previous close of 25,978.07.

Citing CNBC International, market sentiment remains stable despite US President Donald Trump cancelling plans to send US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, Pakistan, last Saturday for negotiations with Iran.

“Too much time wasted on travel, too much work! Additionally, there is great internal disagreement and confusion within their ‘leadership’,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, quoted on Monday (27/4/2026).

Oil prices jumped around 2% after plans for a second round of US-Iran peace negotiations hit another impasse.

The Brent crude futures contract, the international benchmark, rose more than 2% to US$107.49 per barrel at 19:35 ET, while US crude also surged 1.79% to US$96.19.

Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz remain high after reports that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard boarded two cargo ships near the strategic waterway.

US futures moved slightly lower, with Dow Jones Industrial Average futures down 0.2%, or 130 points. S&P 500 futures fell 0.3%, while Nasdaq 100 futures declined 0.3%.

Last Friday in the US, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed at record levels. The broad market index rose 0.8% to 7,165.08, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 1.63% to 24,836.60.

Both indices also set new intraday record highs. However, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 79.61 points, or 0.16%, closing at 49,230.71.