The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), operated by Japan Exchange Group Inc. (JPX), in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. Kosuke Okahara/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Japan’s Nikkei 225 led losses in Asia on Friday, falling more than 3%, while the broad based Topix fell 2.25%, along with most other major Asian markets also declined.
The losses come after unconfirmed reports of explosions in Iran, sending stocks tumbling and safe-haven assets higher. Gold hit an all-time high as the Japanese yen also strengthened, while bitcoin plunged. Oil prices jumped more than 3% with global benchmark Brent crude futures crossing $90 a barrel.
On Friday, Japan released its March inflation data, with the headline inflation rate coming in at 2.7%, down from the 2.8% seen in February.
The core inflation rate — which strips out fresh food prices — stood at 2.6%, in line with expectations from economists polled by Reuters.
South Korea’s Kospi was 2.32% lower after leading gains in Asia on Thursday, while the small-cap Kosdaq dropped 2.18%
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 was 1.48% lower.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was down 1.08%, while the mainland Chinese CSI 300 slipped 0.47%.
Overnight on Wall Street, all three major indexes ended mixed, with the S&P 500 posting five straight days of losses, its longest losing streak since last October. The broad index lost 0.22%, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.52%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.06%, closing just above its flatline for 2024.
— CNBC’s Brian Evans and Alex Harring contributed to this report.
