Asian stocks are mixed and oil prices slip after Iran and US launch fresh attacks


HONG KONG (AP) — Shares were mixed in Asia and oil prices slipped on Thursday as conflict escalated in the Middle East, with Iran and the U.S. launching fresh attacks.

U.S. futures advanced.

The United States launched more airstrikes on Iran, and Iran responded by firing at Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said their temporary ceasefire was “over.” The prospects for a lasting peace remained uncertain, with high-level talks seeking to salvage an interim agreement on ending the war still underway, according to a regional intelligence official involved in the mediation efforts who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the delicate behind-the-scenes negotiations.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 reversed some of its losses from earlier in the week, gaining 1.4% to 67,743.85, helped by technology-related shares. Chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron jumped 5.5%, and artificial intelligence-focused investment holding firm SoftBank Group slipped 0.1%.

South Korea’s Kospi index zigzagged, rising 0.6% to 7,291.91 despite a loss earlier in the day. It fell 5.4% on Wednesday. Samsung Electronics was up 0.2% on Thursday, while memory chipmaker SK Hynix gained 5.3%.

The Shanghai Composite index traded 1.7% higher at 4,036.59, even as China’s producer price index rose 4.1% in June compared to a year earlier. That was higher than May’s 3.9%, as some economists attribute the accelerating inflation to rising costs due to the Iran war.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 0.7% to 24,027.97. Shares of Apple supplier Luxshare fell 2.5% in its trading debut in Hong Kong. Chinese AI company Zhipu, or Z.ai, surged 9.3% after it said it’s raising about $4 billion through a share sale.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.3% to 8,762.50.

Taiwan’s Taiex fell 0.8%, and India’s Sensex climbed 0.7%.

Oil prices fell back early Thursday, with Brent crude, the international standard, falling $1 to $77.00 per barrel. It briefly topped $80 on Wednesday. Before the Iran war began, Brent oil was trading at around $72 a barrel. Earlier optimism over an interim peace deal recently brought it back to prewar levels.

Benchmark U.S. crude declined 83 cents to $72.69 a barrel.

On Wednesday, Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 ended 0.3% lower at 7,482.71. It dropped as much as 1.1% after Trump’s comment on the ceasefire agreement.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 1.1% to 52,348.39, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite edged up 0.2% following an earlier loss to 25,870.65.

U.S. chipmaker Broadcom surged 4.8%, after Apple committed to a multiyear partnership with the company.

In other dealings, the U.S. dollar fell to 162.37 Japanese yen from 162.59 yen. The euro was trading at $1.1438, up from $1.1417.

Chan Ho-him, The Associated Press

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) – The Associated Press
A currency trader watches monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics Co. stock price at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) – The Associated Press
A currency trader passes by a screen showing international oil prices at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) – The Associated Press
Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) – The Associated Press



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