Asian stock markets are trading mostly lower on Wednesday, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight, amid the uncertainty about the ongoing war in the Middle East after U.S. President Donald Trump again extended the two-week ceasefire indefinitely until Tehran submitted a "unified proposal" to end the war with the U.S. and Israel. Asian markets closed mostly higher on Tuesday.
Trump on Tuesday extended the two-week U.S. ceasefire with Iran, saying the extension was warranted due to Tehran's government being "seriously fractured." He added that the ceasefire would be extended until Tehran submitted a proposal or discussions were concluded, and that the U.S. military would continue its blockade of Iranian ports.
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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.