Asian stocks rose for a second day and US equity-index futures edged higher as optimism over ongoing US-Iran talks buoyed sentiment.
Shares in Japan, Australia and South Korea climbed, lifting the broader MSCI Asia Pacific Index 0.2%. The Nikkei 225 index rose more than 1%. US equity-index futures also advanced with contracts for the Nasdaq 100 Index rising as high as 0.4%.
Caution, however, crept back into markets as Brent pared some of Thursday’s losses to climb about 2% to over $104 a barrel. Oil fell in the previous session on expectations that US-Iran talks could eventually lead to a deal and restore energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, putting the commodity on track for its second weekly decline in three weeks.
Elsewhere, the yen held steady after Japan’s key inflation gauge slowed by more than forecast. Gold edged lower to about $4,530 an ounce.
Concerns over a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz have unsettled investors, pushing bond yields higher recently amid fears elevated oil prices will fuel inflation and force central banks to keep interest rates elevated. Even so, traders have largely brushed aside those risks since the war began in late February, propelling stocks to record highs on renewed enthusiasm for the artificial intelligence trade.
“Geopolitics is likely to remain the dominant market driver,” wrote Nick Twidale, chief market analyst at AT Global Markets.
