LIVE | Asian markets soar, oil falls on optimism over Middle East war
Asian stock markets led the gains, with strong rallies in South Korea and Japan, while oil prices moderated on expectations of a possible de-escalation of the conflict.
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This Wednesday, Asian markets posted a strong rally, boosted by optimism generated by President Trump's statement that United States could end its involvement in the war with Iran in "two to three weeks."
For his part, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said that the US is reaching its war goals ahead of schedule and that it can already "see the finish line."
It was one of the best days for Asian markets in recent months. South Korea's KOSPI led the gains with a rise of between 5.2% and 6.5%, followed by Japan's Nikkei 225, which rose between 3.5% and 4.9%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced between 2.0% and 2.3%, while the Shanghai Composite of China gained about 1.4% to 1.5%.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose about 1.7% to 1.9%./b>, and the MSCI Asia Pacific regional index rose between 4% and 4.7%, driven especially by a strong rebound in the technology sector, where Samsung and SK Hynix rose more than 9-10%.
For its part, the price of oil fell moderately. North Sea Brent crude fell by around 2-3% and closed between $103and $105 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was down about 2.5% and ended the day around $101.50 per barrel.
Major European stock markets also closed moderately higher. London's FTSE 100 rose 0.48% to 10,176.45 points. In Germany, the DAX advanced 0.52% to close at 22,680.04 points. France's CAC 40 posted the best performance among the major markets, up 0.57% to 7,816.94 points. Meanwhile, Spain's IBEX 35 gained 0.53% and ended the day at 12,845.30 points.
The times correspond to Eastern Standard Time.
Israeli medical services report 14 wounded after Iranian missile launch
The Israel emergency service reported that 14 people, including an 11-year-old girl, were injured during a missile attack that the Army attributed to Iran and which, according to police, caused damage in several locations.
The Army said it had "identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel" for the first time in about 20 hours, setting off anti-aircraft sirens throughout the center of the country.
Less than an hour later, another alert was issued for new incoming missiles, prompting warnings in large parts of northern and central Israel, according to the Home Front Command.
"Technicians and paramedics are providing medical treatment and evacuating 14 injured people to hospitals," the Magen David Adom emergency service said in a statement picked up by AFP, including an 11-year-old girl in serious condition with shrapnel wounds.
National Bank of Kuwait closes headquarters amid Iran attacks
A major Kuwaiti bank announced that it will close its headquarters in the capital for two days starting Wednesday, as Iran continues to carry out daily attacks in the Gulf more than a month after the start of the Middle East war, AFP reported.
"The National Bank of Kuwait will close its headquarters and Subhan branch today, Wednesday, and tomorrow, due to the current developments and in the interest of everyone's safety and operational continuity," the bank said in a statement carried by the state-run Kuna news agency.
Qatar claims Iranian missile hit tanker in its waters
Qatar claimed Wednesday that an oil tanker chartered by its state energy company was hit by an Iranian missile in the country's territorial waters.
"Qatar was targeted... by three cruise missiles launched from Iran," the Qatari Defense Ministry said in a statement.
According to the note, Qatari military forces "intercepted two of the cruise missiles, while the third missile impacted an oil tanker chartered by Qatar Energy inside Qatari territorial waters."
Yemeni Houthis claim third missile attack on Israel
Houthi rebels in Yemen, allies of the Ayatollahs' regime, claimed a missile attack on Israel on Wednesday, the third since the start of the war in the Middle East, according to a statement carried by AFP.
The Houthis "carried out the third military operation against sensitive Israeli enemy targets with a barrage of ballistic missiles," the rebels' military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in a video statement.
"This operation was carried out jointly with our brothers" in Iran and the Shiite Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, he added.
Israeli Army claims to have carried out a "wave of large-scale attacks" on Tehran
The Israeli military said it carried out strikes Wednesday in Tehran, where Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported explosions in several areas.
In a brief military statement, Israeli forces claimed to have "completed a wave of large-scale attacks targeting infrastructure facilities of the Iranian terrorist regime in Tehran."
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