Asian stock markets are trading mostly lower on Friday, following the broadly negative cues overnight from Wall Street, as some traders continued to cash in on recent strength in the markets. Worries about growth due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, and fears of aggressive monetary tightening by the Federal Reserve and other central banks also rendered the mood cautious. Asian markets ended mostly lower on Thursday.
Crude oil prices also tumbled following reports that the Biden administration is considering a massive release of strategic oil reserves.
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Business News
April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.