The Hong Kong stock market on Wednesday snapped the two-day winning streak in which it had jumped more than 320 points or 1.2 percent. The Hang Seng Index now rests just above the 26,160-point plateau although it may recover some of those losses on Thursday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is cautiously optimistic on hopes for an end to the conflict in the Middle East. The European markets were down and the U.S. bourse were up and the Asian markets figure to follow the latter lead.
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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.