Asian stock markets are trading mostly higher on Wednesday, following the mixed cues from Wall Street overnight, as traders remain cautious amid developments in the Middle-East conflict even as U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly said the war against Iran could end "very soon." Trump also said Iran would be hit "twenty times harder" if they do anything that stops the flow of oil within the Strait of Hormuz. Asian markets closed mostly higher on Tuesday.
Echoing Trump's confidence, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asserted in a press conference that Iran is "badly losing" but said the U.S. will still be launching its "most intense day of strikes" in Iran.
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Market Analysis
June 19, 2026 16:46 ET Major central banks continued to dominate the economic news flow this week too, led by the Federal Reserve, as they announced their latest policy decisions. The Federal Reserve policy session was in focus as it was the first to be led by the new chief Kevin Warsh. In Europe, central banks of the U.K. and Switzerland announced their rate decisions. In Asia, the Bank of Japan drew attention for its policy moves, while data out of China threw some light on the state of the economy.