Asian shares ended mixed on Thursday after steep losses on Wall Street overnight. Middle East tensions and rate hike expectations kept investors on edge, but overall losses were limited after the U.S. military said that it had "completed" its latest round of airstrikes targeting Iran.
The dollar held steady near a two-month high in Asian trading after the U.S. launched fresh strikes on Iran.
Gold jumped 0.8 percent to $4,104 an ounce, rebounding from a six-month low as investors sought safe-haven assets amid escalating U.S.-Iran tensions.
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Market Analysis
August 21, 2026 14:42 ET The minutes of the latest policy meeting of the Federal Reserve, housing market data and manufacturing sector survey results were the main news for the U.S. economy this week. In Europe, inflation data from the U.K. was the highlight, while consumer price data from Japan drew attention in Asia.