Asian stock markets staged a broad rebound on Tuesday after a volatile start to the week, as crude oil prices eased from multi-year peaks and comments from U.S. President Donald Trump suggested the conflict with Iran could soon wind down. The combination of falling energy costs and the prospect of reduced geopolitical risk helped restore investor appetite across the region.
U.S. equity benchmarks had ended Monday's session higher despite large intraday swings. Earlier declines in American markets were linked to a jump in oil, but indexes recovered after President Trump's remarks. Futures on Wall Street were trading little changed as of 22:23 ET (02:23 GMT).
Regional market moves
South Korea's KOSPI led gains, surging more than 6% on Tuesday after having closed nearly 6% lower in the prior session. Japan's Nikkei 225 climbed nearly 4% following a drop of more than 5% on Monday, while the broader TOPIX index rose about 3%.
In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite edged up 0.3% and the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 advanced 1%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 1%.
Other regional benchmarks also finished higher - Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 1.3% and Singapore's Straits Times Index climbed 1.5%. Futures tied to India's Nifty 50 were up 0.1%.
Oil and investor sentiment
Oil retreated on Tuesday after having surged close to $120 per barrel earlier on Monday. That pullback offered relief to markets that had been rattled by the earlier spike in energy prices. The jump in crude had revived concerns about rising inflationary pressures and raised the possibility that central banks could postpone planned interest rate cuts if energy costs remained elevated.
Investor confidence was notably bolstered by President Trump's suggestion that the conflict involving Iran could be nearing its conclusion. The remarks helped alleviate immediate fears of a prolonged war disrupting energy supplies and risk sentiment more broadly.
What traders are watching
Market participants remain attentive to developments in the Middle East, with analysts warning that volatility could persist as long as geopolitical tensions influence oil pricing and global risk appetite. In addition, investors were awaiting China's trade balance figures for February, due later in the day, which could alter regional market dynamics depending on the data.
Overall, Tuesday's rebound reflected a retreat in energy-driven risk aversion, but observers cautioned that the outlook remains conditional on further geopolitical and economic updates.