Ahead of Wednesday's holiday for Showa Day, the Japanese stock market had ended the two-day winning streak in which it had surged almost 1,400 points or 2.3 percent to a record closing high. The Nikkei now sits just beneath the 59,920-point plateau and it may take further damage on Thursday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is soft on surging oil prices and uncertainty about the conflict in the Middle East. The European markets were down and the U.S. bourses were mixed and little changed and the Asian markets figure to split the difference.
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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.