Specialist James Denaro works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo\/Richard Drew)<\/small><\/p>\n
2026-04-22T05:36:35Z<\/p>\n
TOKYO (AP) \u2014 Asian shares were mixed in cautious trading Wednesday, as investors watched for next steps in the U.S.-Iran conflict after President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire that was set to expire.<\/p>\n
Japan\u2019s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.4% to 59,585.86. Australia\u2019s S&P\/ASX 200 declined 1.2% to 8,843.60. South Korea\u2019s Kospi added 0.5% to 6,417.93.<\/p>\n
Hong Kong\u2019s Hang Seng lost 1.2% to 26,180.51, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.5% to 4,106.26. <\/p>\n
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 erased an early rise to fall 0.6% after U.S. Vice President JD Vance called off a trip to Pakistan, where he was expected to lead U.S. negotiators in talks with Iran to extend the ceasefire. It closed at 7,064.01.<\/p>\n
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.6% to 49,149.38. The Nasdaq composite also slipped 0.6%, to 24,259.96. Less than 10 minutes after the U.S. stock market finished trading for the day Trump said he would extend the ceasefire to give Iran time to submit a proposal to end the war.<\/p>\n
Oil prices have been wavering. In Asian trading Wednesday, benchmark U.S. crude fell 86 cents to $88.81 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 68 cents to $97.80. <\/p>\n
The moves were milder than the vicious swings that rocked Wall Street earlier in the war, when the price for a barrel of Brent crude briefly topped $119 <\/a><\/span> and the S&P 500 dropped nearly 10% <\/a><\/span> below its prior all-time high. <\/p>\n