Asian stock markets are trading mostly lower on Friday, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight, amid renewed concerns about a military conflict between the U.S. and Iran, with reports suggesting American military intervention may be imminent. Regional trading volumes remained thin amid the Lunar New Year holidays in China and Taiwan. Asian markets ended mostly higher on Thursday.
Traders also seemed reluctant to make significant moves ahead of the release of closely watched readings on US consumer price inflation later in the day that could have a significant impact on the outlook for interest rates.
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April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.